The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the position of a Postdoc Fellow.
Project Title: Yam Improvement for Incomes and Security in West Africa
Ref: DDG-R4D/BMZ/PDF/03/11
Project description:
Within West Africa, the yam crop is a major food crop, but has been largely overlooked in terms of crop improvement. Meanwhile, yam productivity in this key production zone is declining. The increasing costs of labour and the high costs of quality planting material limit production and can restrict revenue/cost ratio to about 1.6. Traditionally the fertility of lands used for yam cultivation has been recovered through long natural fallow periods (e.g. exceeding five years). With increasing intensification of yam cultivation as a result of population growth, the incidence and severity of field pests and diseases are increasing, which are often transferred from the field to storage where they continue to manifest and lead to higher tuber losses. Yam has good value in the form of fresh tuber but there are challenges in marketing associated with storage facilities, transportation, taxation, the limited range of processed products, and pricing.
Duty Station:
The post-doc will be principally assigned to a project, which will operate across West Africa in Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Togo. The position will be located at Ibadan, Nigeria.
Qualification/Experience:
• Only German candidates are eligible to apply.
• The incumbent will have recently graduated from PhD study in the field of agronomy/ crop production, crop physiology and /or a plant health related field.
• S/he will have a specific interest in working overseas, preferably with experience to demonstrate this, ideally including sub-Saharan Africa. S/he will need to demonstrate a keen interest in developmental issues, particularly related to agriculture.
• The candidate will need to be able to work independently in challenging field conditions, and integrate with a multicultural team with strong interpersonal skills.
• The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator and will be able to work as part of an interdisciplinary and diverse team.
• Excellent verbal and written English is required, with competence in French a strong advantage.
General Information: Initial appointment is for2 years with the possibility of renewal for 1 year, contingent upon individual performance. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.
Applications:
Applicants should send a cover letter explaining their interest in the position, what they can bring to the job and indicating earliest availability, curriculum vitae and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of 2-3 referees (preferably one from Germany) who are knowledgeable about the candidate's professional qualifications and work experience to the Human Resources Manager.
Please complete our online application form using this link: IITA - Job application form (http://old.iita.org/cms/details/job_application.aspx)
Closing Date:
Screening of applications will commence on 10 March 2011 until the position is filled, though selections may be made in advance of that date.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
For more information: IRS vacancy - IITA (http://www.iita.org/irs-asset;jsessionid=73C385EC44E75CDE830688F8368172A1?p_p_id=101_INSTANCE_Im2L&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=6&_101_INSTANCE_Im2L_struts_action=%2Fasset_publisher%2Fview_content&_101_INSTANCE_Im2L_urlTitle=post-doctoral-fellow-ref%3A-ddg-r4d-bmz-pdf-03-11&_101_INSTANCE_Im2L_type=content&redirect=%2Fcareers)