Postdoctoral Fellow - Cowpea Agronomist/Physiologist at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

IITA is an international non-profit agricultural research-for-development (R4D) organization established in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and a member of the CGIAR Consortium. Our R4D approach is anchored on the development needs of tropical regions of the world. We work with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate 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. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a premier research institution in Africa. It is the home of a major genebank for staple crops of sub Saharan Africa, part of the Genetic Resources Centre (GRC) of IITA at its headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria. GRC collects, conserves, characterises, documents and distributes accessions of important clonal (cassava, yam, banana and plantain) and seed (cowpea, maize, soybean, other legumes) crops to all those around the world who request them for breeding and research.

A major aspect of the work of GRC is to effectively document the collection of germplasm (georeferencing etc) and to bring this together with agro-morpohological and molecular characterisation and other data in a way which is accessible, user friendly and can be easily integrated with other databases across the Institute and beyond

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the position of Postdoctoral Fellow – Cowpea Agronomist/Physiologist.

Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow - Cowpea Agronomist/Physiologist

Ref: DDG-R4D/PDF/CAP/02/14
Location: Kano, Nigeria.

Position/Responsibilities
The tasks of the Postdoctoral Fellow – Cowpea Agronomist/Physiologist are to:

• Establish efficient field and screen house phenotyping methodologies for drought and low P tolerance in cowpea.
• Identify cultivated and cross compatible wild cowpea genotypes with drought and low-P tolerance.
• Investigate the physiological basis for drought and low P tolerance and adaptation mechanisms in cowpea.
• Contribute to the understanding of genetic basis for drought and low P tolerance and identification of associated QTLs.
• Study interactions between legumes and cereals in inter/strip-cropping system with a view to enhancing resource use efficiency, productivity and sustainability of cereal-legume systems in West and Central Africa.
• Contribute to resource mobilization and strengthening of NARS partners’ capacity in agronomy or physiology.
• Provide guidance and direction to national staff.
• Publish research results in reputable international journals.
• Co-supervise research of postgraduate students.

Educational Qualifications
The candidate should have a PhD degree in Crop Physiology, Agronomy or related field.

Core Competencies

• Experience in legume research.
• Ability to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team in a cross-cultural environment.
• Knowledge of advanced statistical tools and database management.
• Excellent spoken and written English; ability to communicate in French is desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills

General information: Initial appointment is for three years. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package.

Application Closing Date:
28th February 2014

Method of Application
Interested applicants should forward their applications with detailed curriculum vitae saved with their names in Microsoft word format. The application must include the names and e-mail addresses of three professional referees which must include either the Head of applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor/Superior officer at work and evidence of current remuneration package to IITA website

Click here for more details on the job