Post Doctoral Fellow – Rangeland Landscape Ecologist (Internationally Recruited Staff)

Reports to: Thematic Leader of the Rangeland Ecology and Forages Team

Location: The position will be based in Tunis, Tunisia

Closing date: 28 February 2022

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Main purpose of position

The Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) – Rangeland Landscape Ecologist will work with the multidisciplinary Resilient AgroSilvoPastoral Systems (RASP) Team and contribute to the development and implementation of integrated rangeland-livestock projects. The position is key to implementing the Center’s research on rangeland ecology and management to support poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists.

Reports to: Thematic Leader of the Rangeland Ecology and Forages Team

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.

ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org

All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (“One CGIAR’”) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.

Main responsibilities

• Design and conduct research, data collection, analysis, and reporting activities to support the development of sustainable rangeland management practices, innovative approaches, new tools, and technologies.
• Conduct baseline studies to document the pastoral and agro-pastorals’ indigenous knowledge on sustainable integrated natural resources management.
• Carry out and supervise community-based rangeland rehabilitation and management activities.
• Contribute to the assessments of ecological impacts such as impact of climate change on rangelands.
• Use spatial and quantitative modelling to identify landscape-level strategies to restore degraded rangelands and conserve rangeland ecosystem goods and services.
• Contribute to institutional capacity development of national partners through training, supervision, and technical backstopping.
• Publish in ISI refereed journals with a focus on rangeland ecology and management.
• Contribute to resource mobilization activities.
• Represent ICARDA in regional and international fora.
• Perform other duties assigned by the senior rangeland scientist.

Requirements

Education, qualifications, and experience

• An earned PhD degree in rangeland ecology and management (preferably landscape ecology) or related field.
• Proven experience in field-based research, rangeland monitoring and assessment.
• Knowledge of rangeland plant taxonomy especially in the main ICARDA geographic regions the Centre operates.
• Knowledge of, and experience in, participatory and community-based approaches to research-for-development.
• Strong spatial and quantitative modelling skills and a broad understanding of landscape ecology.
• Proficiency in using modern technologies such as GIS/remote sensing, cloud based mobile data collection platform and ecological modelling.
• Capacity to plan, design and implement research and demonstration programs.
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Additional languages that would be an advantage are French and/or Arabic.
• Work experience in developing countries is desirable.
• Ability to work in a team and supervise technical staff.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary and benefits as per IRS requirements

This is an internationally recruited position for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package, including a competitive salary, housing allowance, non-contributory retirement plan, medical insurance and leave provisions. All benefits are denominated and paid in US Dollars.

The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 3 years, of which the first year will be probationary period. Possibility of the extension will be subject to merit and productivity of the staff, funding and continued need for the position.