POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Please visit http://www.alliancebioversityciat.org/for more information on the Alliance.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit http://www.iita.org/for more information on IITA.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Postdoctoral Fellow – Soil Health, Nematology and Climate Action will contribute to the design, implementation, analysis, and coordination of soil health research and climate action projects focused on nematology. The role supports the delivery of multi-location field trials, experimental design, and advanced data analysis, including statistical and ecological assessments and production of scientific outputs.

In addition, the Fellow will provide project support and coordination for climate action projects, including administrative support, tracking progress against workplans, monitoring deliverables, engaging partners and stakeholders, and contributing to donor reporting and project implementation processes. The position also includes support to capacity building activities, and coordination of consultants contributing to project delivery.

The role reports to the Principal Scientist (Soil health), with close collaboration with the Climate Adaptation Lead for climate action project coordination and reporting.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

NEMATOLOGY RESEARCH SUPPORT

The Postdoctoral Fellow will provide scientific, analytical, and coordination support to nematode research and climate action projects focused on soil health improvement, nematode management, and sustainable agricultural systems.

The role will:

  • Contributes to research design, scoping, and development of field and experimental protocols in soil health and nematology.
  • Support the development and refinement of methodologies for nematode assessment, soil biological indicators, and climate-relevant soil health metrics.
  • Provide conceptual and analytical input into interdisciplinary research linking soil biology, crop performance, and climate action.
  • Support proposal development and scientific planning for new and ongoing projects.
  • Ensure research outputs are aligned with institutional and donor priorities in sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT &  RESEARCH COORDINATION

The Postdoctoral Fellow will engage with internal teams, external partners, and stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of research and climate action initiatives.

The role will:

  • Collaborate with scientists, consultants, and technical teams across multiple locations to implement field trials and data collection activities.
  • Engage with government stakeholders, research institutions, and farmers to support participatory research and field implementation.
  • Provide technical support in coordination of multi-location experiments and ensure adherence to scientific protocols and data quality standards.
  • Support stakeholder communication through presentations, progress updates, and technical briefings.
  • Contribute to capacity building of farmers, students, interns, and consultants.
RESEARCH QUALITY ASSURANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS

The Postdoctoral Fellow will ensure high-quality delivery of research outputs, data analysis, and project outputs.

The role will:

  • Conduct statistical, ecological, and multivariate data analysis, including nematode indices, diversity metrics, and soil health indicators.
  • Interpret research findings and contribute to peer-reviewed scientific publications and technical reports.
  • Coordinate and support the production of datasets, analytical outputs, and knowledge products.
  • Track project progress, monitor deliverables, and ensure timely reporting to donors and partners.
  • Support implementation of climate action project work plans, including oversight of consultants and technical contributors.
  • Contribute to policy briefs, communication outputs, and evidence-based recommendations for sustainable soil management.
  • Support development of project budgets, work plans, and implementation schedules.

REQUIREMENTS:

EDUCATION

  • PhD in Soil Science, Nematology, Agronomy, Ecology, Environmental Science, or closely related field

EXPERIENCE

  • Minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience or equivalent research experience in soil health, nematology, or related agricultural research systems.
  • Experience in designing and implementing field trials and multi-location experiments.
  • Proven track record in scientific publishing in peer-reviewed journals with at least two publications in ISI indexed journals.
  • Experience working in interdisciplinary or international research projects is an added advantage.
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
Research Design & Scientific Development
  • Ability to design field and laboratory experiments in soil health and nematology.
  • Experience in developing protocols for biological soil assessments and nematode analysis.
  • Strong conceptual understanding of soil ecology, plant-soil interactions, and climate-smart agriculture.
Data Analysis & Interpretation
  • Advanced skills in statistical analysis (e.g., R, or equivalent).
  • Experience with nematode indices, biodiversity metrics, and ecological modeling.
  • Ability to interpret complex datasets and translate findings into scientific outputs.
Scientific Writing & Knowledge Generation
  • Proven ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals.
  • Experience in producing technical reports, donor reports, and policy briefs.
  • Strong synthesis skills for translating data into actionable knowledge.

Project Coordination & Implementation

  • Experience coordinating multi-location agricultural research projects.
  • Ability to track workplans, monitor deliverables, and support project implementation.
  • Experience supervising consultants, students, or technical staff.

Stakeholder Engagement

  • Experience engaging farmers, government agencies, and research collaborators.
  • Strong communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Ability to present research findings to donors and stakeholders.

Climate Action Systems

  • Demonstrated experience supporting or contributing to climate adaptation projects, including integration of scientific research into climate-relevant outcomes.
  • Ability to support planning, implementation, and tracking of multi-location field or research-based projects aligned to climate resilience and adaptation objectives.
  • Experience in translating scientific or agronomic data into climate-relevant insights, reports, and evidence-based outputs for donors, stakeholders, or policy audiences.
  • Capacity to provide technical and administrative support to project coordination processes, including workplan monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and oversight of consultants or partners.

Capacity Building

  • Experience mentoring postgraduate students and interns.
  • Ability to train farmers and field technicians.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

This is a nationally recruited position based at IITA Nairobi, Kenya. The initial contract will be for one and half yearssubject to a probation period of three months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. This position is graded at BG08 level in a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

APPLICATIONS

Applicants are invited to visit https://www.bioversityinternational.org/jobs/to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number Ref: (RFP301236)-POST DOCTORAL FELLOW as the position applied for. Application and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s lastname, firstname for ease of sorting.

Note: The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applications closing date:19th May 2026

Please note that email applications will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.



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