Post-Doctoral Fellow Impact of Sustainable Intensification on Landscapes and Livelihoods (Ref. 1346) Lusaka, Zambia
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a nonprofit, global facility dedicated to advancing human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to help shape effective policy, improve the management of tropical forests and address the needs and perspectives of people who depend on forests for their livelihoods. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Asia, Africa and South America.
CIFOR is looking for Post-Doctoral Fellow Impact of Sustainable Intensification on Landscapes and Livelihoods
Overview
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is one of the largest bilateral funders of biodiversity conservation. An Agency priority is to understand the relationship between biodiversity conservation and other development sectors such as food security and climate change (USAID Biodiversity Policy, forthcoming). The Office of Forestry and Biodiversity (FAB) within the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment is collaborating with the Bureau for Food Security (BFS) and the climate change team within the Bureau for Africa (AFR) on a research program that will investigate the impacts of on-farm SI (Sustainable Intensification) interventions on biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation in the Eastern and Lusaka Provinces of Zambia. This study will focus on the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks, surrounding Game Management Areas (hereafter referred to as the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi landscapes), biodiverse regions that are threatened by smallholder agricultural expansion, and also charcoal production, poaching, and population growth (Campbell et al., 2011).
The Bureau for Food Security currently manages the Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) program, a research initiative focused on transforming agricultural systems through SI that is implemented in eastern and southern Africa by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and partners. The research project described in this document will complement the efforts of Africa RISING by linking on-farm interventions to landscape-level impacts. The lead implementers are IITA and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). This Terms of Reference (TOR) describes USAID’s requirements for a postdoctoral researcher employed by CIFOR to
design and implement a research project in collaboration with IITA and partners over the next three years.
Key results area
The CIFOR Post-Doctoral Fellow, in partnership with IITA and partners, will design and implement a research project that will: ? Investigate the impacts of SI interventions on biodiversity conservation in the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi landscapes of Zambia. ? Advance understanding of the enabling socio-economic, policy, governance, and market conditions associated with successful SI adoption and biodiversity conservation in the study regions.
The expected impacts of the project are to advance global knowledge of the effectiveness of SI in mitigating biodiversity loss and to understand the conditions under which SI is effective. Research results will be used to inform USAID programming in the biodiversity, climate change, and agriculture sectors.
Duties & Responsibilities
? Task 1: Inventory and assessment of existing datasets: the objective of this task is to conduct an inventory of current projects and datasets relevant to the research objectives and evaluate their suitability for inclusion in the research project. ? Task 2: Develop a coupled social-ecological systems model of SI as it relates to biodiversity conservation: to develop a coupled social-ecological systems model (e.g. Agent-Based Model, STELLA) to better understand the enabling socio-economic, policy, governance, and market conditions associated with successful adoption of SI and biodiversity conservation in the study regions. ? Task 3: Research proposal: to design research activities that address the data gaps identified in Task 1 (if applicable) and based on research questions informed, in part, by the model completed in Task 2. ? Task 4: Research Implementation: to implement the research proposed in Task 3, subject to USAID/FAB input and approval. ? Task 5: Project Management: to provide general program management oversight as an ongoing effort to ensure the project is executed within budget and schedule.
Education, knowledge and experience:
? A PhD in a relevant biological science (e.g. ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology) with experience in social science methodologies related to the research objectives.
? Demonstrated experience working at the intersection of biodiversity conservation and agriculture, in Zambia or eastern/southern Africa would be preferred. ? An 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. ? Demonstrated originality, creativity and innovation in solving problems and introducing new directions and approaches.
Personal attributes and competencies:
? Excellent analytical skills. ? Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, experienced in working with multicultural and multidisciplinary research teams. ? Have initiative and capable of working independently as well as in team environments to meet project deadlines. ? Competency in personal organization, priority setting and managing multiple tasks. ? Values the sharing of information and continuous improvement in a cooperative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning.
Resources Assigned and Typical Planning Horizons
n/a Work Condition
International travel as and when necessary.
Terms and Condition
? Competitive remuneration in US dollars commensurate with skills and experience. ? The appointment will be for a period of 1 (one) year with a possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources. ? The duty station will be at CIFOR’s regional office in Lusaka, Zambia
Application process
? The application deadline is 31 January 2014 ? We will acknowledge all applications, however, we will contact only short-listed candidates. Please send your letter of interest and CV, including contact information for three referees, to:
Human Resources Department, CIFOR To learn more about the position and to apply please visit our career page at http://www.cifor.org/about-us/careers-with-cifor.html
