Research Supervisor (Cassava Seed Health) at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Ref No: IITA-HR-NRS2016-041
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (2-year renewable contract)

Responsibilities
Successful candidate will among other things perform the following duties:

• Assist in the inspection surveys for cassava pest and disease incidence in the seed multiplication plots in the fields and under screenhouse conditions;
• Assist in collection of samples for health assessment and indexing;
• Assist in testing of field grown and in vitro cassava for pathogens (mainly viruses and bacteria) using ELISA, PCR, LAMP and other diagnostic methods;
• Assist in the selection of healthy planting material for propagation;
• Involves in organizing and monitoring of cassava seed degeneration trial;
• Assist in providing technical backstopping to seed quality inspections;
• Assist in collection and analyzing of field and laboratory data including preparation of quality technical reports.

Qualifications

• BSc/HND in Plant Science, Crop production, Agricultural Extension, Biochemistry, Breeding/Agronomy, or related disciplines with 2 years’ experience performing similar role.

Competencies
The ideal candidate must have:

• Very good knowledge on plant pathology; theory and application of diagnostic methods (such as ELISA and PCR); vegetative propagation of crops; concepts of plant disease control; production of healthy planting material; and seed quality certification.
• Demonstrable supervisory experience (lab/field).
• Working experience (desired) on application of ELISA and PCR-based methods / propagation of clonally propagated crops (such as cassava) / conducting field surveys / managing experiments in the screenhouse or fields/indexing and seed quality testing.
• Passion and commitment for academic excellence.
• Computer literacy, data organization and analysis skills
• Good capability and readiness to travel independently within Nigeria, and work in the fields.
• Good coping skills heavy intermittent workloads extending beyond office hours and during weekends
• Ability to learn new skills, quickly adapt and apply new methods.
• Ability to interpret data and prepare good technical reports.
• Very good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work harmoniously in an interdisciplinary team with an international and intercultural background.

Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.