IITA Recruits Maize Breeder (Field Fellow)

IITA is an international non-profit research-for-development (R4D) organization created in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Our R4D is anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty by reducing producer and consumer risks, enhancing crop quality and productivity, and generating wealth from agriculture. We have more than 100 internationally recruited scientists from about 35 countries and 900 nationally recruited staff based in various stations across Africa.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of the below position:

Job Title: Maize Breeder (Field Fellow)
Job Ref: DDG-R4D/AfDB/PDFM/01/13

Job Responsibilities
The field fellow in the Maize Breeding Unit of IITA will support maize germplasm development and testing under the African Development Bank Maize project. She/he will use both molecular and conventional breeding tools to identify and introduce genes associated with tolerance to heat stress into adapted drought tolerant maize germplasm and assists in dissemination of maize germplasm with enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses prevalent in the lowland savannas in West Africa.

• Develop, validate and implement phenotyping methodologies to screen maize germplasm for heat stress tolerance
• Employ novel tools to identify and introgress genes associated with tolerance to heat stress into adapted drought tolerant maize germplasm.
• Assist in the development of new maize varieties and hybrids with enhanced tolerance to drought and heat stress as well as multiple biotic stresses prevalent in the savannas
• Assist in organizing and conducting field trials in the major IITA testing sites and in multiple locations in collaboration with partners.
• Contribute to the training and capacity building of partners in maize germplasm development and testing as well as in the preparation of training materials.
• Analyze data recorded in multiple locations across seasons using appropriate statistical software packages, prepare reports and draft manuscripts for publication in scientific journals.
• Contribute to the preparation of project reports and new proposals for funding.
• Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Educational Qualifications and Experience

• The candidate should have a PhD in Plant Breeding,
• Preferably with at least two years of experience in breeding maize for tolerance to abiotic stresses.

Core Competencies:

• Experience in collecting, processing, and analyzing experimental data recorded in field trials with relevant statistical software packages is required.
• Experience in conducting field trials using standard and incomplete block designs and in management of breeding nurseries required.
• Experience in use of molecular markers is desirable, but not required
• Experience in managing large datasets recorded from field trials
• A proven track record in publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals
• Proficient in spoken and written English and working knowledge of French would be an advantage
• Good inter-personal skills and ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multicultural settings

General information
Initial appointment is for two years. Subsequent renewal of the contract will be decided based on research outputs and productivity, and continued need for the position. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.

Application Closing Date
28th February 2013

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send applications including curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three referees should be addressed to the Human Resources Manager at: IITA Website