icipe Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Chemical Ecology

icipe Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Chemical Ecology
March 24, 2015 Job Description
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Chemical Ecology
Ref No. IRS/105/032015
icipe – African Insect Science for Food and Health is a world-class research centre with a mission to alleviate poverty by ensuring food security, improving health, protecting the environment and building the capacity of researchers and communities across the developing world through the application of insect sciences.
Employing more than 450 national and international staff, icipe is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with outposts in Ethiopia and on the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya.
icipe has a proud reputation and history of delivering world-quality science that has made crucial contributions to African food and health policy, delivered development outcomes to rural communities and has been at the forefront of building Africa’s biological research capacity.
The Centre’s research activities span the African continent with partnerships linking research organisations not only across Africa but also the globe.
icipe wishes to recruit a suitable person to fill the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Chemical Ecology in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-supported Sustainable Crop Production for International Development (SCPRID) Project, in the Push–Pull Programme.
The position is tenable at the icipe Thomas R. Odhiambo Campus in western Kenya and is available to commence immediately.
This is a two-year contract, with a possibility of extension after successfully completing a six-month probation period of the first contract.
Overall purpose of the jobHe/she will be expected to be among a team tasked with:
Identifying ‘elicitors’ from stemborer eggs that induce maize and sorghum plants to emit plant volatiles;
Screening of different wild and cultivated grasses for the early herbivory trait;
Studying plant-to-plant communication.
Responsibilities:The successful candidate will be expected to:
Extract, fractionate and purify stemborer egg material and conduct bioassay guided identification of elicitor;
Expose plants to elicitor/gravid moths for oviposition, collect the plant volatiles, and determine parasitoid responses using olfactometer bioassays;
Determine changes in volatile profiles and identify the key volatile organic compounds emitted by the plants and those that elicit behavioural responses in the insects;
Assist the icipe team involved in phenotyping the maize and sorghum lines with the ‘smart’ trait;
Publish and communicate research findings through internationally recognised forums and contribute to the dissemination of research findings to stakeholders.
Knowledge and skills required for performing the job
Ability to design, undertake and analyse laboratory, screenhouse and field experiments.
Proficiency in use of statistical tools, especially R and other statistical software.
Experience in semiochemical research will be preferred.
Requirements / Qualifications
PhD in chemical ecology, with a strong background in entomology and chemistry, obtained within the last 3 years from a recognised university.
Knowledge of chemical ecology procedures, including isolation, behavioural assays and identification of semiochemicals.
Instrumentation skills such as GC, MS, HPLC and electrophysiology (EAG, GC-EAG).
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including strategic thinking and ability to present coherent and convincing analyses to different audiences.
Strong publication record in relevant areas at the associate scientist or scientist level or demonstrated high potential to publish at the postdoctoral fellow level.
Other Desirable Attributes
Excellent communications skills and ability to work well as part of multidisciplinary teams.
Self-starter with excellent interpersonal, management and organisational skills.
Reporting: This position reports to the Programme Leader, Push–Pull Programme.The selected candidate should be available to start as soon as possible.
How to Apply
All applications must arrive via email on or before 31st March 2015.
Please quote the job reference number IRS/105/032015 on the email subject line.
Interested applicants should submit:
(a) a confidential cover letter,
(b) detailed CV with names and addresses of 3 referees (including e-mail addresses, fax numbers), and
(c) a one-page write-up on how you consider yourself suitable for the job, to:postdocchemicalecology@icipe.org
A competitive compensation package will be offered to the right candidate.
Only shortlisted candidates will be acknowledged.
icipe is an Equal Opportunity Employer