Opportunities

ICRISAT Post-Doctoral Fellow - Pearl Millet Improvement, West and Central Africa
ICRISAT invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF) in the field of pearl millet
improvement, to be based in the ICRISAT regional hub at Niamey (Niger).
The selected candidate will:
o work within a newly approved project entitled $B!H(JHarnessing Opportunities for
Productivity Enhancement (HOPE) of Sorghum and Millets in Sub-Saharan Africa and South
Asia$B!H(J.
o integrate himself/herself into an interdisciplinary team of breeders, molecular
geneticists, agronomists, socio-economists, food technologists, seed systems specialists and
technology transfer experts from ICRISAT, National Agricultural Research Institutes and
development partners,
o aim to improve pearl millet productivity and income generation from pearl millet in the
Sahelian and Soudanean zones of West and Central Africa.
o be responsible for implementation of pearl millet research activities in one or several of
the following research domains:
- Optimizing integration of downy mildew and Striga resistance breeding methods
(including off-season screening and marker-assisted selection) in recurrent population
improvement schemes;
- Implementation of large-scale, gender-balanced on-farm multi-location trials for
genotype-by-environment interaction (G$B!_(JE)-based adaptation mapping and better
targeting of available varieties/technologies;
- Identification/development of cultivars suitable for cereal transformation into value-
added, income-generating products for local West African markets.
We are seeking candidates with the following qualifications, skills, and interests:
o excellent university education with a PhD in plant breeding.
o S/he must be fluent in English and have working knowledge of French.
o Knowledge/experience in one or more of the following research areas will be required:
- classical breeding methods for allogamous crop species;
- quantitative genetics and theory of selection gain and its optimization;
- integration of molecular tools into recurrent population improvement programs;
- analysis of G$B!_(JE data sets; and
- participatory research methods.
o Excellent data management skills will be an asset.
o Open-minded, adaptable, innovative, action-oriented, and having scientific rigor and a
good team spirit.
ICRISAT is a non-profit, apolitical, international organization for science-based agricultural
development. Established in 1972, it is one of the 15 Centers of the Consultative Group for
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and is supported by more than 48 governments,
foundations, and development banks. To reduce poverty, enhance crop productivity and food
security and to protect the environment, ICRISAT research adopts an integrated genetic and
natural resource management approach focusing on farming systems and crop
improvement, management and utilization of sorghum, pearl millet, pigeonpea, chickpea, and
groundnut in the semi-arid tropics along with enabling policies and institutional mechanisms.
For further details please see ICRISAT$B!G(Js Website: WWW.ICRISAT.ORG.
The Fellowship will be for a period of two years. ICRISAT offers an internationally
competitive stipend and benefits package (payable in US dollars) that includes international
health insurance, housing and car allowances, and appropriate relocation assistance.
ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer, and is especially interested in increasing
participation of women on its staff.
Please send via e-mail your application together with a CurriculumVitae, a list of publications,
a letter of motivation, and the names and contact information of three possible referees latest
by 15 December 2009 to:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (Human Resources, ICRISAT, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh India).
Please indicate PDF-pearl millet improvement, WCA in the subject column of the email.