POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
 
Post-Doctoral Scientist/Associate Scientist: Decision Support Modeller -
Ref: PDDSM/07/98
 
General:
 
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), founded in 1994,
incorporates the resources of the former International Laboratory for
Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD, Kenya) and the International Livestock
Centre for Africa (ILCA, Ethiopia). ILRI, a non-profit-making research
institute, is sponsored by the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ILRI's mandate is to undertake research on
ways to enhance the role of livestock in sustainable agricultural production
systems in Africa, Asia and the Latin American/Caribbean region. Research
programmes address the following areas: conservation of biodiversity,
production systems research, utilisation of tropical feed resources, animal
health improvement, livestock policy analysis, and strengthening
collaboration with national agricultural research systems. ILRI employs
approximately 80 internationally recruited scientists, 20 postdoctoral
associates and 800 support staff based in the institute's campuses in
Nairobi, Kenya and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and at field sites in Niger,
Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, India,  Philippines, Colombia and Peru.
 
The Position:
 
ILRI has a position for a Post-doctoral Scientist/Associate:Decision Support
Modeller who will:
 
* Work with an interdisciplinary team whose aim is to understand and
contribute to the solution of livestock-environment problems in the
developing world.
* Co-lead the development of decision support models and tools that will
help policy makers and other stakeholders understand when, where and why
livestock-environment problems occur (e.g., overgrazing, land-use change,
deforestation) and identify possible solutions through improved policy,
technology and management.
* Develop tools to help decision makers improve the sustainability of
control strategies for the tsetse fly (e.g, cost effective control with
minimal environmental impact).
 
The  Decision Support Modeller will have considerable autonomy in
implementing the activities, and therefore considerable opportunity to
develop and demonstrate initiative and to take responsibility.
 
Location: ILRI - Nairobi, Kenya
 
Qualifications and Experience:
 
The candidate must have a Ph.D. in ecology, geography, economics or a
related discipline and experience building and using interdisciplinary
decision support systems.  Extensive experience with GIS (ARC-INFO, IDRISI),
remote sensing and rule-based modelling is highly desirable.  The successful
candidate must be willing to work with various stakeholders (policy makers,
farmer/pastoral groups) to demonstrate and improve the decision support
tools.  Occasional travel throughout the developing world will be required.
 
Conditions:
 
This position will have a fixed term contract for three years. Salaries are
paid in US dollars. ILRI provides excellent benefits including employer-paid
medical, life and disability insurances and retirement benefits. Relocation,
housing, annual leave travel and education allowances are also provided.
On-site accommodation in furnished houses is subject to availability.
 
Applications:
 
Applicants should send a covering letter, curriculum vitae and the names and
addresses (including telephone, fax and email) of three referees who are
knowledgeable about the candidates professional qualifications and work
experience to the Human Resources Manager, ILRI, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi,
Kenya; Telephone: 254-2-630743; Fax: 254-2-631499; e-mail:
[log in to unmask] The name and reference number of the position for
which the application is made should be clearly marked on the envelopes of
mailed, or on the fax or email applications. Screening of applications will
begin on 18 September 1998 and will continue until the post is filled.
 
ILRI is an equal opportunity employer.