ILRI Animal Nutrition Scientist Jobs in Kenya
ILRI Animal Nutrition Scientist Jobs in Kenya
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is recruiting an Animal Nutrition Scientist to conduct key research on how ruminants contribute to greenhouse gas emissions GHG in diverse systems in developing countries to evaluate the effectiveness of different feed and health interventions to reduce these emissions.
The position offers the opportunity to work in the only research facility in Africa devoted to comprehensively assessing the environmental footprint of livestock and mitigating the effects.
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.
Background to development of the Mazingira (Environment) Centre:
Agriculture and livestock systems, including emissions due to land use change, comprise an estimated 30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
GHG emissions directly related to livestock production, ruminant methane emissions, GHG emissions due to manure management and excretion of faeces and urine to pastures, are estimated to be approximately 12% of anthropogenic GHG emissions. However, livestock production is also a major driver of land use change and land degradation, so that it is the overall dominating source of GHG emissions associated with agricultural feed and food production. For most developing countries GHG emissions from the livestock sector dominate their national GHG budgets.
However, up to now there are no reliable data on GHG emissions from livestock methane and nitrous oxide production, or soil C stock changes in Africa (and limited information in most of Asia), as driven by livestock production, due to a lack of both technology and infrastructure, but also research capacity.
As a result, countries in Africa and Asia have to use inaccurate GHG emission estimates for agriculture, based mainly on research from OECD countries.
This hampers efforts to accurately assess emissions hotspots and to target mitigation actions.
To improve knowledge on the environmental footprint of livestock production systems in developing countries ILRI established the Mazingira (Swahili for Environment) Centre 6 years ago.
The laboratory is unique in Africa and is the only facility in the continent that is devoted to comprehensively assessing the environmental footprint of livestock and mitigating the effects.
It comprises animal and field experimental facilities and laboratories at ILRI Headquarters in Nairobi and at the Kapiti Research Station, a 13,000ha research facility about 60km outside the city.
The Mazingira Centre provides a quantum improvement in Africa’s environmental
research infrastructure and capacity and aims at establishing:
Accurate and verifiable GHG emission factors from livestock and crop production, and land-use change
Frameworks to assess socioeconomic impacts of environmental degradation
Understanding of effects of livestock production systems on land degradation, soil fertility, erosion and hydrology
Experimental programmes to develop improved ruminant productivity that will simultaneously decrease GHG emission factors
Development and assessment of climate adaptation and GHG mitigation strategies for tropical livestock systems
Responsibilities
Conduct agronomic, livestock productivity and greenhouse gas (GHG) measurements for different livestock systems in Sub-Saharan Africa to allow the quantification of system specific GHG fluxes and subsequently to develop mitigation options
Manage and maintain laboratory and field facilities, specifically the respiration chambers for measuring GHG emissions from ruminants, including training and supervision of staff and evaluation of data
Conduct laboratory scale, mesocosm parameterisation experiments to allow direct comparison of GHG emission potentials from manures and soils for different environmental conditions
Write and publish scientific papers and prepare conference/workshop presentations describing results and their implications for productivity, GHG and nutrient management; and
contribute to other communication products (research briefs, policy briefs etc)
Develop innovative concepts and ideas for further research to address spatial and temporal variability of fluxes, and upscaling of mitigation options
Initiate future research projects including grant/proposal writing and mobilizing resources
Coordinate research projects that are carried out within the Mazingira Centre at ILRI
Supervise PhD and MSc students
Perform any other related duties as may be required
Requirements
PhD in animal nutrition, animal physiology or relevant discipline
At least 5 years post-doctoral experience is required for appointment at Senior Scientist level or 2 years post-doctoral experience is required for appointment at Scientist level
Knowledge on smallholder livestock production systems in developing countries
Experience with data processing and statistical software such as R, SPSS, Matlab or python
Terms of Appointment
This position is at Scientist or Senior Scientist level (HG 18 or HG 19), depending on experience.
The position is a 3-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding.
ILRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes; pension, medical and other insurances
How to Apply
For more information and job application details, see; ILRI Animal Nutrition Scientist Jobs in Kenya
Find jobs in Kenya. Jobs - Kenya jobs. Search our career portal & find the latest Kenyan job positions, career opportunities & jobs in Kenya.
Jobs in Kenya - banking jobs, IT jobs, accounting jobs, NGO jobs, business administration, ICT, UN jobs, procurement jobs, education jobs, hospital jobs, human resources jobs, engineering, teaching jobs, and other careers in Kenya.
Find your dream job from 1000s of vacancies in Kenya posted and updated daily - click here!
Click here to post comments
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to NGO Jobs in Africa.
