Research Officer III - Eddy Covariance at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Key Responsibilities:

• Supervise the performance of two existing experimental sites with eddy covariance (EC) flux towers and other environmental sensors in two semi-arid areas in Machakos County, Kenya
• Lead the establishment and maintenance of new EC flux towers in dryland systems in the region subject to funding availability
• Undertake sampling of soils, aboveground biomass and other environmental variables as required
• Ensure data quality assurance and control (QA/QC) in accordance with standard operating procedures
• Conduct processing, visualization, and analysis of the newly derived EC tower data, also in relation to other environmental variables and remote sensing data
• Lead and contribute to the writing and publication of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals using the derived EC data
• Develop conference/workshop presentations describing results and their implications for agricultural and rangeland productivity, GHG emissions, and nutrient management
• Contribute to communication of findings to stakeholders, including researchers, press, ministries, livestock extension officers, farmers, donors, etc
• Participate in capacity building of partners, and supervision of graduate students and research assistants
• Contribute to resource mobilization through significant input to proposal development
• Perform any other related duties as may be assigned

Requirements

• Masters in the discipline of micrometeorology, (atmospheric) physics, environmental sciences, eddy covariance fluxes, or related fields
• Experience with eddy covariance flux measurements (setup, maintenance, data evaluation and processing) proven by at least two years of field experience with eddy covariance towers
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in eddy covariance towers
• Field experience in related areas (e.g. remote sensing of rangeland vegetation) beneficial
• Demonstrated ability to integrate eddy covariance flux data with ancillary environmental for synthesis studies on flux budgets, control parameters and processes
• Ability to handle large datasets, data processing, and strong familiarity with statistical software such as R, SPSS, Matlab and/or python
• Willingness to coordinate and participate in regular field work campaigns across a range of experimental sites in East Africa
• Knowledge on agricultural production systems in developing and/or developed countries is preferred
• The ability to supervise and train research assistants and students, and provide necessary data quality control and assurance
• A background in remote sensing or modeling of nutrient and water cycles is an asset
• Working experience in developing countries desirable
• Enjoying working as part of an international and intercultural team
• Excellent written and spoken English