- Nairobi, Kenya
- Full-time
- CapDev
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit an MSc Graduate Fellow under the supervision of the Forage Genebank team within the Livestock Genetics, Nutrition and Feed Resources Program.
ILRI works to improve food and nutritional security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe and sustainable use of livestock. It is the only one of 15 CGIAR Research Centres dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org
The Forage Genebank at ILRI holds a diverse collection of tropical and subtropical forage accessions and related information. The genebank conserves nearly19,000 accessions from over 1,800 species. The collection is one of the most diverse collections of forage grasses, legumes and fodder trees held in any genebank in the world. In addition to the routine genebank operations, the genebank also conducts characterization at agronomic, nutritional and genomic levels and add value to the collection through generating information and making available the seeds of the accessions to diverse users. https://www.ilri.org/research/facilities/ilri-genebank.
The position:
The fellow will contribute to genetic diversity studies and the development of subsets from forage collections maintained at the ILRI Forage Genebank. The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team focused on the conservation, distribution, and characterization of forage genetic resources, the fellow will gain valuable knowledge and hands-on experience in plant genetic diversity assessment, subset development, and genetic data analysis.
Responsibilities:
- Literature review on genetic resources conservation and diversity assessment of forage grass.
- Collection of characterization data at Zwai field genebank.
- Analyse genotyping data and prepare a detailed summary of the analysis for use in presentations, reports, and manuscript development.
- Prepare regular progress reports and compile research findings into a well-structured MSc thesis in line with university requirements and ILRI standards.
- Contribute to scientific communication by drafting a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and designing a poster for presentation at relevant scientific conferences.
Academic and professional experience :
Education:
- Be registered for an MSc course in either Plant breeding, Genetics or biotechnology, has finished course work and ready to start thesis project.
- Possess a bachelor’s degree in either Plant Science, Horticulture, Animal Science, Biological Sciences, or the related field.
Experience:
- Demonstrate experience working in molecular genetics, quantitative genetics or bioinformatics.
- Experience with R statistical software for genetic data analysis is advantage.
- Good working knowledge of MS Office packages.
- Experience contributing to writing reports and journal publications.
- Proficiency with written and spoken English.
- Ability to work independently, multi-task and meet tight deadlines.
Post location: The position will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Fellowship Duration: 7 months.
Terms of appointment and benefits: ILRI will offer a monthly stipend to cover living expenses in the project location, medical insurance, and cover research expenses. The fellow will be co-supervised by academic and ILRI supervisor(s) and receive various capacity development opportunities at ILRI.
How to apply:
All applications MUST include the following (applications not containing these documents will not be considered):
- a cover letter addressed to the Senior Manager – Capacity Development ILRI, expressing interest in the fellowship position and the motivation. The position title and reference number (REF: ILRI PhD/GF/LGNF/01/2025) should be clearly marked on the subject line of the cover letter.
- CV, including names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience.
- academic qualification certificates/transcripts.
Applications must be submitted by clicking on the “APPLY NOW” tab on or before 22 May 2025.
We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.
To find out more about ILRI visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org
ILRI is an equal opportunity employer.
