Climate Change Scientist

About the organization

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is an independent research institution which generates science-based knowledge about the complex role trees play in agricultural landscapes and rural livelihoods. As part of the Centre’s work to bring tree-based solutions to bear on poverty and environmental problems, researchers – working in close collaboration with partners – are developing new technologies, tools and policy recommendations for increased food security and ecosystem health.

The Centre’s headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, and research is conducted in 23 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and receive funding from over 50 different donors.

To learn more about our organization, please visit our website: www.worldagroforestry.org

About the position

Climate variability and change will exert ever more pressure on agricultural land, potentially restricting the ability of farmers in developing countries, in particular smallholders, to sustain their livelihoods. At the same time there are opportunities related to a changing climate that need to be identified and explored.

Modelling is central to the understanding of interactions and processes involved in climate impact assessment, adaptation and mitigation, and can support improved decision making. For ICRAF to successfully address these issues on climate change, ICRAF’s Climate Change Unit is looking to fill the position of a Climate Change Scientist to be based at its Headquarters in Nairobi.

The main purpose of the position is to provide leadership across ICRAF and support other ICRAF units in developing, applying and connecting time series of spatial weather and climate information with spatial information on land use, land use change, watershed hydrology, land health, as well as socio-economic indicators in order to develop tools and models that support better decision making related to the sustainable management of land.

Possible areas of work may include, but are not restricted to: rainfall variability and change at various timescales; spatial scalability of climate-related indicators from plot to watershed to regional; contributing to modelling of landscape hydrology; developing synthetic weather grids from remotely sensed information to feed into crop growth models; contribution to improved crop models (e.g., by including trees into the system); contribution to species distribution models under changing climates; producing projections of climate change impacts on agroforestry systems using different climate scenarios; participation in AGMIP and other MIPs; developing remotely sensed poverty indicators and connecting them to climate information.

Specific Responsibilities

• Develop and improve modelling tools and methods related to climate and other spatially explicit data to improve decision making at community to international scales.
• Support the Climate Change Unit in improving its ability to answer research questions related to the connection between climate variability and change and agroforestry and other climate-smart agricultural systems.
• Collaborate with the Geoinformatics Unit, the Research Methods Group and Knowledge Management in connecting climate and potentially other climate-relevant data to other geospatially explicit information.
• Coordinate climate change modelling with ICRAF regions and build capacity within ICRAF and its partners where appropriate.
• Represent ICRAF at national and international fora.
• Lead and contribute to the publication of original research papers and syntheses of work carried out within ICRAF and with partners.
• Raise funds related to the Climate Change Unit.
• Carry out other duties as assigned by the supervisor where pertinent to successfully carrying out the job.

Qualifications and experience

• At least a PhD in atmospheric science, physical geography, plant ecology, agronomics or other relevant field of science. A post-doc relevant to the field is highly advantageous.
• Excellent demonstrated programming and modelling skills.
• Demonstrated ability to handle large datasets.
• Relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals at least in the pipeline.
• Excellent command of English demonstrated by good presenting and communication skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work under pressure.
• Good networking skills and capacity to work in multicultural teams.
• Experience with agroforestry systems and a good understanding of social-ecological systems are an advantage.
• Work experience in a developing country is an advantage.
• Knowledge of the R programming language is an advantage.

Terms of offer

The World Agroforestry Centre is an equal opportunity employer and offers a collegial and gender-sensitive working environment. We believe that staff diversity promotes excellence and strongly encourage applications from qualified women. This is an International position and will be offered on international terms for an initial period of three (3) years, renewable subject to nine (9) months’ probation period, assessment of performance, continued relevance of the position and availability of resources. We offer a competitive salary package with good international benefits.

How to apply

Applications for the position must include:

·         Cover letter illustrating your suitability for the position against the listed requirements and salary expectations.

·         Detailed curriculum vitae.

·         Names and addresses of three referees, including telephone, fax numbers and email addresses.

All correspondence will be via email only addressed to the Human Resources Unit, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF): icrafhru@cgiar.org. Applicants should indicate “Application – Climate Change Scientist” on their application letters and email submissions.

Applications will be considered until 15 May 2013 or until a suitable candidate is identified and selected. Interviews will be held on 1 and 2 July 2013

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