POST DOCTORAL FELLOW- BANANA CLIMATE RESILIENCE EVALUATION- ADVERT
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people's lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.
The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
Position Summary
Based at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT office at Kawanda, Kampala, Uganda, and under the supervision of the Scientist, Banana Characterization and Evaluation, which fall under the Banana Genetic Resources and Management Systems Program, and Biodiversity for Food & Agriculture Lever, ย the Post-Doctoral Fellow will specifically contribute to the implementation of the Alliance's climate change adaptation and drought tolerance phenotyping and screening efforts in banana research in East Africa in partnership with National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and other research institutions from the One CG family to complement the teams in Leuven (BE), Montpellier (FR) and Cali (CO).
The incumbent will assist in all the stages of banana field experimentation, surveys and data management in the different agro-ecological zones of Uganda. With the International Transit Center (ITC) (a home for the international banana collection) being one of our key assets we are internationally considered as a leading center for banana diversity research.
The position will be based at Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT office at Kawanda, Uganda with travel to other research sites and banana farming communities and regions within East Africa when necessary.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
1. Field Phenotyping and Screening :
a) Conduct field phenotyping and screening of bananas for climate change adaptation under the Scientist's supervision.
2. Field Experimentation and Evaluation :
a) Design and implement field experiments to evaluate banana cultivars for climate change adaptation under the Scientist's guidance.
3. Scientific Publications and Resource Mobilization :
a) Contribute to and generate scientific publications.
b) Draft proposals and concept notes to support resource mobilization, guided by the Scientist.
4. External Partnerships and Collaboration :
a) Strengthen and support external partnerships for the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT's research on bananaย improvement.
b) Collaborate with teams located in Leuven, Montpellier, and Cali.
5. Progress Reporting and Quality Assurance :
a) Advise and update the Scientist on the progress of field research activities.
b) Identify issues in experiment implementation and data quality.
6. Capacity Building :
a) Support, supervise, and train junior technical and field staff in collaboration with the Scientist to ensure high-quality research and achievement of objectives within available resources and timelines.
7. Field Trial Management :
a) Guide technicians and assistants in planting, agronomic management, and pest/disease control of gender-responsive banana field trials as per trial protocols in consultation with the Scientist.
b) Assist in harvesting research materials and ensure proper post-harvest procedures to maintain data quality.
8. Data Collection and Curation :
a) Oversee the collection, verification, and curation of climatic and agronomic data, ensuring they are in a format ready for processing and analysis.
9. Irrigation and Sampling :
a) Implement irrigation schedules for drought tolerance screening crops in consultation with the Scientist.
b) Collect field samples (soil, plant) and related data for laboratory analysis when necessary.
10. Labor and Field Management :
a) Assist field technicians in planning, managing, and supervising day-to-day labor requirements for smooth experiment execution.
b) Perform daily field management activities as needed.
11. Execute any other work-related duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Key Deliverables:
- Rigorous and sound data production and analysis from the above experiments
- Regular reports to the Scientist, of progress on different activities in Uganda.
- Contribution to and generation of peer reviewed scientific manuscripts.
- Contribution to the preparation of research proposals and related fundraising activities
Requirements
- PhD in Plant Breeding, Crop Science, or Crop Improvement from a renowned university
- Previous working experience (at least 3 years) carrying out phenotyping work (experience with the LICOR)
- Proficiency in data collection and analysis R based tools and platforms (exposure to Musabase, Genstat, and or Fieldbook will be an advantage).
- Experience / Knowledge in crop irrigation scheduling for drought experiments or ability to learn quickly
- Excellent command of the English language, both written and spoken.
- Ability to work independently and participate as a team member in accomplishment of duties.
- Ability to travel long distances and spend extended periods of time in the field.
- Commitment to the organization's mission and core values.
- Precise, well-organized and structured work approach.
- PhD in Plant Breeding, Crop Science, or Crop Improvement from a renowned university