Post-Doctoral Fellow – Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Vacancy number: PD/MGHG/07/2013
Livestock Systems and the Environment
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: 2 years with the possibility of renewal

Base salary dependent on skills and experience – from USD 35,000 per annum with an attractive international benefits package (tax free*).

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to enhance the roles livestock play in pathways out of poverty in developing countries. ILRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global research partnership of 15 centres working with many partners for a food-secure future. ILRI has two main campuses in East Africa and other hubs in East, West and southern Africa and South, Southeast and East Asia. www.ilri.org.

CGIAR is a global agricultural research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 research centres that are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. www.cgiar.org.

The Position:  ILRI seeks to recruit a post-doctoral fellow to strengthen the greenhouse gas mitigation team at Livestock Systems and the Environment (LSE), due to increasing demand from CRP 7 to measure emissions of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock in smallholder systems.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct agronomic, livestock productivity and GreenHouse Gas (GHG) measurements for different land use systems in Sub-Saharan Africa to allow the quantification of system specific GHG fluxes from different cropping and livestock systems to develop mitigation options;
• Manage and maintain laboratory and field facilities, including training and supervision of staff in state of the art methods of GHG measurements.
• Conduct laboratory scale, mesocosm paramaterisation experiments to allow direct comparison of GHG emission potentials from manures and soils for different environmental conditions;
• Write scientific papers and prepare conference/workshop presentations describing results and their implications for productivity, GHG and nutrient management; and contribute to other communication products (research briefs, policy briefs etc);
• Develop innovative concepts and ideas for further research to address spatial and temporal variability of fluxes, and upscaling of mitigation options.

Essential Skills and Qualifications will include:

• PhD  in nutrient cycling in Agroecosystems, Agronomy, Geoecology, Environmental Sciences or related fields, gained in the past 4 years;
• Considerable practical knowledge of techniques (e.g. micrometeorological techniques: gradient and EC approaches) and experience with equipment (gas-chromatography, laser based spectroscopic techniques) used in the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial ecosystems;
• Up to date knowledge of chemical analysis of environmental samples;
• Ability to effectively manage, visualize and analyze large datasets;
• Evidence of good communication skills, including the ability to publish the results of scientific research in peer-reviewed scientific journals;
• Demonstrate originality, creativity and innovation in solving problems and introducing new directions and approaches
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Knowledge and experience in training of field and laboratory technicians in GHG measuring methods;
• Work experience in developing countries
• Willingness to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Post location: The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Position level: Post-doctoral Scientist (4A).

Duration: 2 years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and continued funding.

Terms of appointment: ILRI offers a competitive international remuneration and benefits package which includes:  Medical insurance for staff and dependents, Life insurance, Education allowance for children, Housing allowance, Baggage Allowance, Home leave, Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days+public holidays.

*Benefits are tax free subject to compliance with tax regulations of country of citizenship.

Applications: Applicants should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae which includes a list of publications and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the applicant’s professional qualifications and work experience. The position title and reference number: PD/MGHG/07/2013 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter.

All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com on or before 21 August 2013.

To find out more about ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org

To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer.