Reports to: Research Team Leader - Soils, Waters and Agronomy

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Main purpose of the position

ICARDA is working towards developing a climate-resilient and digitally advanced agrifood sector for the global drylands. Its areas of focus encompass agronomy, climate, crop improvement, socioeconomics, small ruminants, soil, and water challenges, employing methods such as situ observations, experiments, process modeling, stakeholder engagement, and a suite of digital initiatives under CGIAR. This position is ideal for a Data Scientist with expertise in Predictive or Generative AI, Machine Learning, Applied Statistics, or Systems Modeling. This position is designed to work in close coordination with the GeoAgro Research Team, complementing its leadership in climate change science, geospatial analysis, and digital agriculture innovation. As ICARDA advances integrated AI solutions that draw on geospatial analytics, machine learning, crop and soil modeling, and diverse data streams, this role ensures strong collaboration across research teams—particularly with GeoAgro, which leads ICARDA’s Cross-Cutting Research Theme on Climate-Smart Predictive Agriculture.

The Data Scientist will be embedded within ICARDA’s institutional structure and will actively collaborate with biophysical modelers, geospatial scientists, climatologists, and other domain experts to co-develop data science–driven international public goods. This alignment fosters synergy, avoids duplication, and reinforces ICARDA’s capacity to deliver scalable, cross-program innovations for dryland resilience.

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 takes 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 organizations, 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: .

Main responsibilities

·     Work across various ICARDA programs with a cohort of datasets: geospatial, biophysical, climatic, genomic and socioeconomic datasets to improve predictive capabilities of various agrifood system processes (from gene to regional scales). 

·     Develop Predictive AI solutions (machine learning, ANN, big data-based forecasting) and use generative AI applications to accelerate resilience in agriculture in the non-tropical drylands where ICARDA operates.  

·     Example works include, but not limited to, mapping crop yield gaps, crop-water relations, soil salinity, climate risks, crop and livestock disease outbreaks, pest infestations, crop ideotype design, analyzing HTP phenotypic data, mapping soil carbon, and socioeconomic processes etc. Utilize geospatial analysis and remote sensing to assess dynamics of land use, crop conditions, and natural resources in irrigated, rainfed, deserts and rangelands, TPE analytics to help crop improvement etc. 

·     Take leadership in cloud-based Data/AI workflows using AWS, Azure, or GCP along with the necessary cyber security protocols. 

·     Provide thought leadership and advocacy for the application of different Large Language Models (LLMs) and GPTs for agricultural applications, such as text analysis of agricultural reports and farmer interviews. Provide supervision and oversight to test the efficacy of the LLMs/GPTs developed in CGIAR and bilateral initiatives for e-extension service platforms and other tools. 

·     Engage in science-policy dialogues on digital actions with the key stakeholders at national and sub-national levels and liaise with key partners and play an active role in resource mobilization of the digital and data-driven research program at ICARDA. 

·     Develop user-friendly applications and dashboards to visualize and communicate data insights to stakeholders in collaboration with developers and the software industry. These applications can be in across the ICARDA programs. 

·     Be the focal point for ICARDA to identify, collect, and curate relevant data from various ICARDA teams, external sources including government agencies, farmers, and remote sensing platforms complying with the CGIAR FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. 

·     Explore the use of IoT devices and sensors for data collection and real-time monitoring of agricultural and hydrometeorological variables and archive it to centralized databases located within ICARDA IT platforms. 

·     Lead and support concept note and proposal development to strengthen ICARDA’s resource mobilization efforts, while advancing a vibrant Digital and Data Science portfolio through collaborative project design and strategic partnerships.Stay updated on the latest advancements in the field and explore their potential applications in the nontropical dryland regions and liaise with key partners and stakeholders. Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

·     Strengthen institutional capacity in data science and AI through training, mentoring junior staff, embedding reproducible workflows, and promoting standardized practices across projects.

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