Geospatial Research Officer at icipe - African Insect Science for Food and Health

Overall Purpose of the Job

• To provide GIS and earth observation support to the Malaria Vector Atlas project through developing high-quality GIS products of mosquito vectors and associated diseases that will be published to the vector Atlas data hub.

Specific Duties

•  Develop high-quality study area and baseline GIS map products using various GIS software (e.g., QGIS, ArcMap and R) and online open-source platforms like Google Earth Engine.
•  Develop novel spatial models and maps that promote the understanding of the variables that drive malaria transmission.
•  Standardize and optimize maps before publishing them on the Vector Atlas platform to ensure the quality and reliability of model outputs.
•  Perform any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements/Qualifications

•  BSc/BA in GIS, Remote Sensing, Geography, Environmental Sciences and/ or any related field from a recognized University.
•  Minimum of one-year proven work experience in - more or less- similar position.
•  Having previously worked with an international/ regional research organization is an added advantage.
•  Proven knowledge and skills in the usage of GIS and remote sensing software and open-source platforms.
•  Experience in the use of open data kit (ODK) and/ or other geospatial data collection apps.
•  Ability to handle and process a large number of imageries from different satellite systems.
•  Knowledge and skills in performing machine learning modelling and statistical algorithms using open-source programming environments like R and Google Earth Engine.

Other Desirable Attributes

•  The employee should be able to judge the basic work-related problem and use his/ her determination to solve it with minimum supervision.
•  Providing technical backstopping for scientific publications and communicating research findings through conferences, meetings and workshops.
•  Work closely with partners for research project implementation and provide all needed geospatial activities to partners.

Reporting

• This position reports to the Head of Data Management, Modelling and Geo-Information Unit