Interested in understanding the effects of climate change on genetic resources? The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) seeks a post-doctoral fellow in agricultural statistics to investigate the historical climatic trends of CIMMYT‘s maize and wheat programs over the last 30 years, with a particular focus on Eastern Africa and the Indogangetic Plains. You will join a dynamic group of biometricians and quantitative genecists that work closely with the maize and wheat breeding programs. This is an opportunity to use great data analysis skills in a real world application.
The primary objectives of this position are to:
· Analyze historical multi-environment trials datasets to understand effects of climate change using the latest statistical methods.
· Work in a team of biometricians/agricultural statisticians to support CIMMYT scientists.
The job will require that you:
· Develop new quantitative methods and/or apply/adapt existing methods in novel ways to understand the changing climate over the last 30 years with a view to predicting future performance in Eastern Africa and the Indo Gangetic Plains.
· Collate and manage the data in available databases with a view to providing a meta-data base on the collated information.
· Collaborate with bioinformaticians and database experts to define database tools for data capture and analysis.
· Participate in a team of statisticians, quantitative geneticists, breeders, physiologists and economists.
· Interpret and present the findings to policy makers and scientists.
· Publish results in scientific literature.
We are seeking candidates with the following qualifications:
· A PhD in statistics, biometrics, or mathematics, or demonstratable high level quantitative skills in a relevant scientific discipline.
· Good statistical computing skills in any of the following software: R, SAS, ASReml, or GenStat.
· Experience in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative team environment.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Some knowledge of Spanish is advantageous.
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT® (www.cimmyt.org), is a not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. The center works to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat systems and thus ensure global food security and reduce poverty. The center's outputs and services include improved maize and wheat varieties and cropping systems, the conservation of maize and wheat genetic resources, and capacity building. CIMMYT belongs to and is funded by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) and also receives support from national governments, foundations, development banks, and other public and private agencies.
CIMMYT has had enormous impact in the developing world. It is the center of excellence for work on two of the three most important food crops in the developing world. Its most famous employee, Dr. Norman Borlaug, is credited by many with saving more lives than any other individual in the history of the world. Borlaug’s work dramatically increased yields of wheat in the Indo-Gangetic plains in the 1960s and 1970s, staving off starvation for hundreds of millions. For this work, Borlaug received the Nobel Prize in 1970. Scores of other CIMMYT efforts have saved or enriched millions of lives, from releasing disease-resistant varieties and varieties resistant to drought and heat and soil deficiencies, to dispersing techniques to reduce farmer costs and post-harvest losses. In developing countries, wheat varieties developed by CIMMYT and its partners cover 75% of the area planted to modern wheat varieties.
CIMMYT offers an attractive remuneration package paid in US dollars, with a range of benefits including housing allowance, life and health insurance, education allowance (for pre-school, elementary, secondary, and other pre-university grade levels), home leave, retirement fund, and relocation shipping assistance.
CIMMYT is an equal-opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.
Apply online no later than May 28th, 2012.
At www.cimmyt.org, click on “About us – Job Opportunities- Position” -2012-08. Please complete the online application, including your cover letter, competencies and experience for the position, and a detailed CV/resume.
For further information, contact Dr. KY L Mathews, Senior Scientist-Biometrics, K.Mathews@cgiar.org or the Human Resources Office, jobs-cimmyt@cgiar.org"> jobs-cimmyt@cgiar.org.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
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