icipe is an intergovernmental organisation funded by government
aid agencies, UN organisations and private foundations to carry out research
and training in environmentally sound and sustainable management of arthropods
for improved health and agricultural productivity in the tropics.
icipe has approximately 350 staff to support its research and capacity building programmes, located at various sites in Kenya and Ethiopia.
icipe seeks to urgently hire a highly motivated candidate to join an established interdisciplinary team dedicated to the development of sustainable IPM programmes for mango and cashew pests in sub-Saharan Africa.
Responsibilitiesicipe has approximately 350 staff to support its research and capacity building programmes, located at various sites in Kenya and Ethiopia.
icipe seeks to urgently hire a highly motivated candidate to join an established interdisciplinary team dedicated to the development of sustainable IPM programmes for mango and cashew pests in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The
incumbent will plan and direct semiochemical ecology work to support the
implementation of environmentally acceptable interventions to manage
Bactrocera invadens (an invasive fruit flies of mango) and mirid of
cashew.
- Lead
a balanced basic and applied research program targeted towards developing
new female-biased attractants from blends of host fruit volatiles for
monitoring, mass trapping and suppression.
- Explore
the exact identity of key ligands from host fruit volatiles using linked
gas chromatography-single sensillum recordings (SSR),
- Develop
and formulate blends of compounds, carry out field testing of the
compounds in comparisons with standard food attractants, as well as
quantifying their impact on the target pests and their compatibility with
other IPM packages.
- Expected
to be among a team conducting complementary field suppression studies that
incorporate entomopathogens, classical biological control, bait-based
technology, and use of soft pesticide in an integrated system to manage
other pests such as indigenous fruit fly, mango seed weevil and coreid
pests.
The position requires cooperation with on-station research
personnel in complementary disciplines and with NARS and mango and cashew
growers in target countries. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be based at icipe’s
headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, but will be expected to spend a portion of
his/her time at Max Planck Institute of Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany to
participate in complementary research on fruit flies.
Requirements
The suitable candidate should have :
Requirements
The suitable candidate should have :
- PhD
in Entomology, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry or any related
Biological Science field with no more than 3 years experience
- Excellent
background in chemical ecology techniques (for example bioassay guided
micro-identification of compounds, field assays, arthropod
electrophysiology, gas chromatography and mass spectra analyses)
- Good
oral and written scientific communication skills
- Oriented
towards good scientific output
- Proficiency
in English language (with French as an added advantage)
- The
ideal candidate will be a self-starter with excellent interpersonal,
management and organizational skills
- Experience
in working with fruit flies and mirid is desirable
Applications will be accepted up to 20 January 2012.
Only applications of shortlisted candidates will be acknowledged.
Please send an application with a detailed CV, names and addresses of 3 referees including e-mail addresses, fax numbers and remuneration package to:
icipehr@icipe.org
The Human Resources Department
icipe - African Insect Science for Food and Health
P.O. Box 30772-00100
Nairobi
Kenya
icipe is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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