Scientist (Chemical Ecologist) at icipe - African Insect Science for Food and Health

Overall purpose of the job

Insects (pests, vectors, pollinators etc.) are heavily dependent on their olfactory system to understand their environment and rely on semio-chemicals for intra-and interspecific communication. Insect chemical communication shapes the structure and functioning of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, maintaining their equilibrium and providing crucial ecosystem services that are of great importance to livelihoods and humanity. In time of climate change, each step in this communication process may be altered (positively or negatively) by climate change-associated parameters and the proposed scientist in collaboration with icipe 4H-Theme and assess how climate change-related factors affect insect communication, develop and optimize the existing pest and vector control tools suited to changing climate and apply a systematic approach to address knowledge gaps and cross-disciplinary adaptive research.

The overall purpose is to work within the research group focused on developing and implementing environmentally friendly pest and vector control tools in the time of climate change to counter the threat of direct pests, vectors and the diseases they spread that affect livelihoods. The holder will contribute to developing environmentally sound pest and vector control tools to manage pest and vector and climate adaptation in relevant 4H-Theme of icipe.

• The envisaged studies will include elucidating pest-crop and vector-host interaction, and the impact of climate variables for the host-pest/vector interaction.
• Translate knowledge into tools for control purposes and for climate adaptation.
• Investigating how abiotic and biotic factors modulate host metabolites.
• Coordinate a balance of basic and applied research understanding the behaviour, the mechanism of various pest-plant, and vector-host interactions in different agro-ecologies that will lead to the discovery of control tools besides knowledge generation.

Specific Duties:

•  To undertake high-quality research on how pests and vectors respond to ecologically relevant biotic and abiotic factors in a complex changing climate and chemical environment.
•  Investigate the neuroethology of pest-crop and vector-host interaction.
•  Investigate multitrophic level interactions among various crops, and pest pathogens interaction across diverse ecologies.
•  Investigate the impacts of biotic and abiotic factors on host metabolites.
•  Design laboratory and field-based assays to evaluate novel pest and vector control tools.
•  Isolate, and identify plant metabolites and other signalling compounds that have the function for pest communication, host defence and adaptation.
•  Assess the potential and efficacy of various vector control tools developed (in collaboration with the relevant 4H -Theme of icipe and technology transfer Unit of icipe and optimize accordingly.
•  Participate in the development of project proposals to strengthen the application of Chemical Ecology in one health concept.
•  Give training on electrophysiological techniques and supervise junior scientists and graduate students (MSc and PhD) in the chemical ecology field.
•  Publish research outputs in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.

Requirements/Qualifications

•  PhD in Entomology/Chemical ecology.
•  At least 3 years of postdoctoral experience in a relevant research area.
•  Broad knowledge of chemical ecology/neuroethology, olfaction, and electrophysiological techniques (GC-MS, GC-EAD, single sensillum recording, behavioral bioassay etc.) as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed high-impact journals.
•  Strong mathematical and big data processing is a plus.
•  Excellent oral and written English communication skills.
•  Proven experience in conducting chemical ecology research, including fieldwork and laboratory experiments.

Other desirable attributes

•  Contribute to the instrumental and statistical designs, reporting, budgeting and data analysis in support of the research activities within icipe’s 4H- Theme.
•  Supervise activities in chemical ecology-related activities including technical staff and students.
•  Contribute to the management of scientific activities within the Unit.
•  Use the allocated fund responsibly to achieve the stated objectives and deliverables.
•  At least 5 publications in the relevant field in a peer-reviewed journal.
•  Significant contribution and good track record to the preparation of at least two successfully funded proposals annually.
•  Demonstrate involvement in donor relations or building fund-raising coalitions with partners.
•  Contributes to the internal and external relations with stakeholders in relation to the scope of their activities including training, research, or proposal development with partners.
•  Participate in different scientific committees and presentations in various forums within the donor community.

Reporting
This position reports to the Senior Scientist and Head of Behavioural and Chemical Ecology Unit.