Senior Research Supervisor at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Senior Research Supervisor

Reference No.: IITA – HR – NRS2020 – 0011
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (2-year renewable contract)

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

• Participate in the inspection surveys for virus disease incidence in the seed multiplication plots/germplasm evaluation trials in the fields and under screenhouse conditions;
• Collect samples for health assessment and indexing by qualitative and quantitative diagnostics to measure virus load;
• Perform characterization of virus diversity using biological and molecular methods including use of conventional and high-throughput sequencing methods;
• Carry out diagnostics testing for viruses on IITA mandate crops and selection of healthy planting material for propagation;
• Carry out virus purification, production of antibodies, design oligonucleotide primers for PCR and isothermal amplification assays;
• Participate as resource person in diagnostics and phenotyping workshops;
• Collection, analyse field and laboratory data, and prepare quality technical reports;
• Perform all other related duties that may be assigned from time to time by the supervisor.

Qualifications

• B.Sc / HND qualification in Plant Science, Pathology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or related fields with minimum of five (5) years’ experience in application of molecular biological procedures in a well-structured environment.

Compatencies:
The ideal candidate must:

• Have good communication skills.

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

Application Closing Date
31st March, 2021.