he International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) works to increase prosperity and improve human nutrition in the tropics through research-based solutions in agriculture and the environment. CIAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium (CGIAR), a global research partnership working many partners for a food secure future. The Center’s research focuses on improving key crops (cassava, common bean, rice, and tropical forages); agroecosystems and sustainable landscapes; and using information to foster better decisions about issues such as climate change and environmental management. Headquartered near Cali, Colombia, CIAT has regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanoi, Vietnam, with staff posted in other developing countries as well.

To meet growing demands for research-for-development solutions at a greater scale and within a period that is commensurate with rapidly changing global challenges, The International center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Bioversity International (Bioversity) are establishing an Alliance. Both organizations are members of the CGIAR System Organization, the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network.

Bioversity is a global research-for-development organization which vision is that agricultural biodiversity nourishes people and sustains the planet. Bioversity delivers scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural and tree biodiversity to attain sustainable global food and nutrition security.

As part of the CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform (http://excellenceinbreeding.org), the CIAT bean breeding program is starting a global modernization program, under the project “Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Legumes and Cereals in Africa” (AVISA). This modernization program leverages many years of research in breeding, delivery, and adoption of beans in Africa, through the Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), as well as various years of research on climate-smart breeding by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Within the AVISA project, CIAT will develop and implement a Target Population of Environments (TPE) approach aimed at defining target environments for breeding for abiotic stress tolerance with focus in Africa.

PABRA delivers better beans for Africa through partnering with more than 350 institutions and members across 30 countries. PABRA works to improve the food security, income and health of smallholder farmers and urban dwellers across Africa, and contributes to improved soil fertility. PABRA increases the competitiveness of bean markets, providing consumers with better products and contribute to the economic growth of our member countries.

CIAT is searching for a Postdoctoral Fellow in Bean Modeling. The incumbent will be responsible for use crop-climate models to implement the Target Population of Environments (TPE) approach for 2 key abiotic stresses for common beans in countries of the Pan African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA).

The position will take place at the CIAT Headquarters located in Palmira, Colombia.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the planning and execution of activities in the AVISA-TPE project, aiming at modeling common bean yield under current and future climates, to support definition of breeding targets for the bean program in Africa
• Determine and prioritize target abiotic stresses for TPE analysis for at least 4 PABRA countries in East Africa.
• Review data and approaches for TPE analysis, including existing crop models, input datasets, to define a coherent and robust modeling framework suitable for the African context and consistent in relation to foresight modeling activities.
• Implement bean model development, calibration and evaluation in coordination and collaboration with partners at the University of Leeds, and CIAT scientists in Africa and Headquarters.
• Implement TPE analysis for at least 4 PABRA countries in Africa, focusing on previously identified abiotic stresses.
• Lead the writing of 2 peer-reviewed papers on bean modeling and TPE in Africa
• Ensure timely delivery and quality control of modeling outputs, facilitate discussion and socialize results with bean program members, AVISA project scientists in other CGIAR centers (e.g. ICRISAT), and external partners (e.g. University of Leeds).
• Support relevant fundraising activity as deemed aligned to long-term professional goals.

Requirements

• PhD in crop modeling, plant sciences, agronomy, climate change impacts; experience in crop modeling (with demonstrated track record) is a requirement.
• Strong background in crop modeling and climate change impacts, with demonstrated experience and track record (at least 1 paper as first author).
• Background in modeling for breeding is desirable
• Demonstrated ability to write scientific journal articles
• Excellent written, oral, and reading skills in English
• Spanish language skills would be an advantage but not essential.
• Good knowledge of statistics

Terms of Employment

This position is internationally recruited. The contract will be for two (2) years, subject to a probation period of six (6) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits; we believe that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. CIAT is an equal opportunity employer, and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.

Applications

Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability for the above position against the listed qualifications, competencies, skills together with a detailed curriculum vitae, including names and addresses of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience.

All correspondence should be addressed to the CIAT Human Resources Office to Tomás Solís t.solis@cgiar.org and should clearly indicate in the subject “Application: PostDoc Fellow in Bean Modeling”.
Closing date for applications is April 30th/2019 or until a suitable candidate is identified.

We invite you to learn more about CIAT at http://www.ciat.cgiar.org;
and Bioversity at https://www.bioversityinternational.org/