Job Description

Job Description/Requirements

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
(Ref. No. IRS/489/042022

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW
(GEOSPATIAL AND REMOTE SENSING MODELLER FOR MONITORING COFFEE PESTS AND DISEASES)

icipe is a pan-African and non-profit Centre of Excellence for research and development and capacity building in insect science and its applications. Its mission is to help alleviate poverty, ensure food and nutritional security and improve the overall health status of peoples of the tropics by developing and extending management tools and strategies for harmful and useful arthropods, while preserving the natural resource base through research and capacity building. Since its establishment in 1970, icipe has become a significant contributor to scientific research and innovative technologies required to meet the health and food security challenges of sub-Saharan Africa. The Centre has achieved this status by developing alternative and environmentally friendly pest and vector management technologies and products that are effective, selective, non-polluting, non-resistance inducing, and are affordable to resource-limited rural and urban communities. icipe is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with offices in Ethiopia and Uganda, a major station on the shores of Lake Victoria, and several other field stations in Kenya. Employing close to 500 national and international staff, icipe also has approximately 150 graduate students who contribute to its research portfolio annually. The Centre currently has operations in more than 40 African countries and thriving partnerships with universities and research organizations across the world. (www.icipe.org)

Please also download icipe’s Vision and Strategy 2021–2025 http://www.icipe.org/system/files_force/about/corporate_publications_files/icipe_Vision_and_Strategy_2021-2025.pdf

icipe seeks to recruit an outstanding, dynamic and self-motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to conduct research on geospatial and remote sensing modelling for monitoring coffee pests and diseases. The candidate will work with the interdisciplinary team at the Data Management, Modelling, and Geoinformation (DMMG) Unit. The position is tenable in Nairobi at the icipe Duduville campus. This is a two-year contract, renewable subject to continued project needs, funding for the position, and performance of the staff member. A competitive and generous compensation package will be offered to the right candidate for the position. Furthermore, the incumbent will receive paid annual vacation, return airfare for themselves and their dependents to their nominated home base each year, and duty-free privileges. If the successful candidate is appointed from outside Kenya, he or she will be offered support to relocate to the country and settle in Nairobi, Kenya.

Living in Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, with a population of over three million, hosts all urban and social amenities, and offers a comfortable, convenient and pleasurable life. A wide variety of excellent international schools and well-equipped medical facilities are open 24/7 in Nairobi. The city is also accessible by various reputable international airline carriers. Nairobi has a thriving international research scene, hosting various CGIAR centres, as well as several UN agencies. Although it is important to be conscious of security, Kenyans are warm and welcoming of visitors.

Overall purpose of the job
The successful applicant will be responsible for:
▪ Conducting dynamic and cutting-edge research in geospatial and remote sensing modelling for monitoring robusta coffee pests and diseases.
▪ Contributing to the understanding of the distribution and the seasonal dynamics of the robusta coffee and other tree interactions in coffee agroforestry systems.
▪ Geospatial characterisation of the robusta coffee agroforestry systems in Uganda.

Specific duties
The successful candidate is expected to:
▪ Acquire multi-source remotely sensed data for monitoring and modelling of robusta coffee pests and diseases.
▪ Design and use open data collection technics/ tools to gather field observations on Robusta coffee pests and diseases.
▪ Predict the current epidemic risk evaluation (dynamic maps) for major robusta coffee pests and diseases in Uganda.
▪ Simulate (through modelling) the future robusta coffee pest and disease risk according to various climate change scenarios.
▪ Characterise robusta coffee agro-system at a landscape scale using optical and radar satellite systems of different spatial resolutions.
▪ Estimate the robusta coffee landscape structure metrics using geospatial modelling techniques.
▪ Provide geospatial information that contributes to the designing of the integrated pest management (IPM) strategy of robusta coffee pests.
▪ Actively engage in resource mobilisation and proposal development.

Requirements/qualifications
▪ PhD in Geoinformation and Earth Observation, Environmental Sciences, Ecology, or any related field with an emphasis on GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial modelling.
▪ Extensive knowledge and experience in ecological niche modelling.
▪ Experience in using optical and radar satellite systems.
▪ Demonstrated experience in crop and yield modelling.
▪ Demonstrated experience in the use of Google Earth Engine and R programming language.
▪ Experience in designing and using open data collection tools for field data collection.
▪ Experience in working in dynamic landscape systems.
▪ Excellent publication track record.
▪ A high degree of organisation, adaptability, and prioritisation.
▪ Experience in capacity building through mentorship of MSc and undergraduate students.
▪ Excellent communication skills.

Core competencies
▪ Demonstrated experience in ensemble species distribution modelling.
▪ Experience in processing and analysing ‘big’ satellite data using semi-automated procedures.
▪ Experience in modelling different insect pest dynamics.

Reporting
This position reports to the Research Scientist, Data Management Modelling and Geoinformation (DMMG) Unit.

HOW TO APPLY
This position is open until 12th May 2022. Interested applicants should submit: (a) a confidential cover letter; (b) a detailed CV with names and addresses of 3 referees (including e-mail addresses); (c) a statement illustrating suitability against the listed qualifications/ competencies/abilities and skills; (d) two published papers

Candidates are required to apply online through: http://recruit.icipe.org or by email: recruitment@icipe.org

icipe is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equity, teamwork, and respect for diversity.

Apply Now Email Job