Duration
12 months
Internships
The IAEA accepts a limited number of interns each year. The internships are awarded to persons studying towards a university degree or who have recently received a degree (see Internship web pages for further details).
The purpose of the programme is:
To provide interns with the opportunity to gain practical work experience in line with their studies or interests, and expose them to the work of the IAEA and the United Nations as a whole;
To benefit the IAEA's programmes through the assistance of qualified students specialized in various professional fields.
The duration of an internship is normally not less than three months and not more than one year.
Organizational Setting
The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications implements the IAEA's Major Programme 2, \"Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection\". This Major Programme comprises individual programmes on food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment and radiation technologies. These programmes are supported by laboratories in Seibersdorf, Monaco and Vienna. The Major Programme's objective is to enhance the capacity of Member States to meet basic human needs and to assess and manage the marine and terrestrial environments through the use of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable development programmes.
The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture assists Member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IAEA in using nuclear techniques and related technologies to improve food security, alleviate poverty and promote sustainable agriculture. The Joint Centre consists of five Sections, each with an associated laboratory (located in Seibersdorf, 45 km south-east of Vienna), in the areas of: animal production and health; plant breeding and genetics; insect pest control; soil and water management and crop nutrition; and food safety and control.
The Insect Pest Control Section and Laboratory assist Member States with the development, dissemination and transfer of sterile insect and related environmentally friendly technologies for the area-wide integrated suppression, containment or eradication of major insect pests affecting crops, livestock and human health.
Main Purpose
The main purpose of this Internship is to receive training in fruit fly's colony maintenance, mating behaviour studies and sterile male quality evaluation and apply the gained knowledge in a research project to assess for the first time the mating compatibility and sterile male competitiveness in Drosophila suzukii wild populations and colonies from around the world as well as to understand stress tolerance in genetic sexing strains (GSS) of Anastrepha fraterculus. This will facilitate capacity building for the implementation and optimization of the sterile insect technique (SIT) in two major fruit pests.
Functions / Key Results Expected
Gain training in the rearing of fruit fly's colonies from different species. .
Gain expertise in fruit fly mating behaviour studies.
Analyse the sexual compatibility and sterile male competitiveness of different colonies and wild populations around the world of D. suzukii.
Contribute to the development of quality control tests and establishment of quality control parameters for D. suzukii
Contribute to the evaluation of the thermal tolerance of recently developed GSS of A. fraterculus.
Qualifications and Experience
University degree in Biology, Entomology, Biotechnology or related field
Strong background in zoology or entomology
Good written and spoken English essential
Ability to work in a team with a multicultural environment
Applicant Eligibility
Candidates must be a minimum of 20 years of age and have completed at least three years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a first degree.
Candidates may apply up to one year after the completion of a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree.
Candidates must not have previously participated in the IAEA's internship programme.
Good written and spoken English essential; fluency in any other IAEA official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish or Russian) an asset.
Candidates must attach two signed letters of recommendation to their application.