Post-Doctoral Fellow, Wheat Physiology

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is not-for-profit agricultural research for development organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

CIMMYT is looking for an outstanding, self-motivated, and result-oriented professional for the position Post-Doctoral Fellow in Wheat Physiology to work in the Global Wheat Program (GWP).

The position will be based at CIMMYT’s CENEB station in CD Obregon, Sonora and will involve travel, including periods at CIMMYT headquarters in Texcoco, 45 km northeast of Mexico City, Mexico.

Specific duties:

• Lead and contribute to research activities in crop physiological aimed to increase yield potential, heat and drought tolerance in the Wheat Physiology Lab. Emphasis will be on source (e.g. radiation use efficiency and associated traits) and sink (e.g. partitioning of assimilates to yield) and their relationships, physiological characterization of genetically diverse panels for GWAS and QTL analysis, lodging resistance and the application of remote sensing to wheat phenotyping; many projects will be conducted in an international collaborative context.
• Contribute to collaborative research with advanced research institutes and national agricultural research system in client countries.
• Support research activities of PhD students, trainees and visitors collaborating with the Wheat Physiology group.
• Supervise field and laboratory research technicians.
• Collate, curate, and apply statistical analysis to research data sets.
• Update and create internal technical documentation such as phenotyping protocols and other training materials.
• Aid in the writing of technical reports to funding agencies and the development of project proposals.
• Disseminate relevant research outputs through publishing in high impact peer-reviewed journals and attend international meetings, seminars, and conferences.
• Any other duties appropriate to the grade and role.

Required qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• PhD in crop physiology, plant breeding or crop genetics.
• Experience in physiological research and field phenotyping (e.g. photosynthesis, respiration, chlorophyll fluorescence, crop growth analyses, high throughput phenotyping such as hyperspectral reflectance, vegetation indices).
• Work experience in data management and analysis of complex and large datasets, in a biotechnology and/or crop research context.
• Experience with multivariate statistics, linear mixed models, statistical programming like R or Python.
• Excellent skills in verbal and written English, Spanish proficiency is highly desirable.
• Flexibility to travel to other CIMMYT Wheat research stations in Mexico and occasional overseas travel.
• The selected candidate should exhibit the following competencies: Communication, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Teamwork, Time Management, Critical Thinking, and Client Orientation.

The position is for an initial fixed-term for two (2) years, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT’s internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, car, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual home travel airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment.

Candidates must apply online for IRS22133_ Post-Doctoral Fellow – Wheat Physiology.

Screening and follow up of applications will begin on Friday, August 12^th, 2022. Applications must include a current CV and a structured cover letter responding individually to each of the “Required qualifications and skills” listed above. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. For further information on the selection process, please contact Yessica Castillo, at y.castillo@cgiar.org

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

This position will remain open until filled. 

CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.