Dr-Principal Scientist - I

Key skills

Community Training

Seed System

Additional/Preferred Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Preferred Qualifications

PhD

Principal Scientist – I – Seeds System

ICRISAT seeks applications from dynamic Global professionals for “Principal Scientist - I” to lead an innovative research-for - development (R4D) agenda focused on identifying solutions for the development of seed systems of its mandated and local crops in key regions of importance for Africa and Asia. The position will be based in Africa, with extensive periods spent in India.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.

ICRISAT is headquartered at Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. ICRISAT conducts research on its mandate crops of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in the arid and semi-arid tropics. The Institute focuses its work on the drylands and in protecting the environment. Tropical dryland areas are usually seen as resource-poor and perennially beset by shocks such as drought, thereby trapping dryland communities in poverty and hunger and making them dependent on external aid. Please visit – www.icrisat.org

Job Responsibilities

Leadership & Management:

• Support Breeding leads to develop country-specific seed systems development plans which account for differences in country legislation and practice
• Engage ICRISAT partners in Asia and Africa on the design and implementation of an innovative research-for-development agenda related to seed systems of its mandated crops in dryland agri-food systems
• Leverage on the development of mandated seed systems to assist with developing seed systems/supply for regionally important crops as a part of crafting local solutions 
• Represent ICRISAT in the global seed sector community, building on existing and forging new partnerships globally to speed progress of out-scaling of new varieties of the mandated and local crops
• Build strong international and regional strategic alliances related to strengthening seed and delivery systems for improved adoption of new varieties
• Lead and pursue engagement of international, regional, and national stakeholders in seed systems for adaptation to climate change and healthy food systems and leverage seed systems outcomes to the broader work of the institute and linking it to contribute to other initiatives
• Support the capacity development of ICRISAT partners in Africa and Asia, including seed companies, extension departments, and NARES, in themes related to seed systems development
• Lead research to identify varietal adoption constraints and institutional and policy options required to overcome them and to promote strategies for rapid uptake and diffusion of new crop varieties and knowledge 
• Facilitate the creation of strategic and effective partnerships with agribusinesses, financial institutes, development organizations, knowledge institutes, and NGOs to create sustainable seed and delivery systems 
• Lead ICRISAT’s development activities in partnership with NARES, to develop strategic alliances and interface with partners for production and dissemination of seeds of new varieties of mandated crops 
• Facilitate the development of quality control within seeds systems in a situation-specific context, monitoring of processes and application of economically viable genetic fingerprinting within the seed system