Postdoctoral Fellow, Plantain Breeder at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Position Responsibilities

The Postdoctoral Fellow, Plantain Breeder will:

• Support and contribute to IITA's overall Musa breeding strategy as part of the Accelerated Breeding Initiative.
• In conjunction with banana breeding efforts in East Africa, organize and conduct IITA plantain breeding activities in Nigeria and develop new varieties in accordance with the target product profiles (desirable traits such as end-user preferences, disease, and pest resistance, and higher yields).
• Accelerate plantain breeding by improved phenotyping, introducing molecular tools, reducing cycle length.
• Increase seed set by conducting research on floral biology.
• Drive the adoption and application of data-driven decision-making for trait improvement and other breeding optimization efforts in the plantain pipeline.
• Liaise with the CGIAR-NARS networks in the West and Central Africa regions for product profile development, advanced testing, and release of high-value plantain hybrids.
• Represent the breeding program to internal and external stakeholders.
• Support integration of breeding efforts across disciplines.
• Supervise junior-level plantain breeding staff in Nigeria.
• Support PhD and MSc research linked to plantain breeding.
• Organize communication and dissemination undertakings, report and publish breeding results in international peer-reviewed and open-access journals.
• Support resource mobilization efforts on plantain breeding and related research.
• Maintain effective partnerships with CGIAR centers, National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems, and Advanced Research Institutes involved in plantain breeding and related projects.
• Perform any other job-related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Educational Qualifications

• The candidate should have a PhD in Plant Breeding, Quantitative Genetics or a related field or demonstrated skills in plant breeding.

Core Competencies

• Proficiency in experimental design and statistical analysis of breeding data.
• Demonstrated ability to publish high-quality articles in international peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience in the breeding of perennial crops is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of marker analysis is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of cytology is an added advantage.
• Working experience in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams would be a great asset.