CIP Recruitment

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a Postdoctoral Plant Breeder to support sweetpotato population and cultivar development work in West Africa.This applied research position will be based at the Sweetpotato Support Platform for West Africa (SSP-WA), located in Kumasi, Ghana. The work of the SSP-WA focuses on sweetpotato population improvement for adaptation to key challenges of West African environments, and key quality and postharvest attributes (including less sweet sweetpotato types) required for fresh consumption and nutritious processed products. The SSP-WA works closely with Ghanaian and other national program partners in the region to support development and dissemination of new varieties. CIP’s work at the SSP-WA is currently conducted under 2 projects: the Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA), and the Genomic Tools for Sweetpotato (GT4SP) Improvement project.

Job Description

Job Title: Postdoctoral Plant Breeder

Duties & Accountabilities:

• Assist in the implementation of sweetpotato population improvement for West Africa using conventional and genomic approaches that seek to systematically exploit heterosis in clonally propagated crops.
• Breed for end-user attributes, including nutritional and processing quality, in a background of adapted germplasm for West Africa
• Assist with the development of an electronic data capture and database system to facilitate sweetpotato improvement;
• Work collaboratively with team members to design and execute conventional and marker-assisted breeding experiments;
• Assist with virus clean-up and exchange of sweetpotato germplasm from the SSP-WA
• Assist with the organization and facilitation of stakeholder meetings and trainings of sweetpotato breeders;
• Assist in resource mobilization/grant proposals preparation;
• Work under the supervision of the breeder/project leader, in collaboration with national programs and other partners in West Africa to conduct breeding trials on-station and on-farm in Ghana, and collect, analyze and interpret research trial data, and write reports and scientific articles.

 Selection Criteria:

• PhD in Plant breeding, genetics, molecular breeding or related field with at least two years experience in field research;
• Expertise in experimental design, database development and data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting
• Aptitude for team work, and excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with knowledge of French desirable;
• Familiarity with breeding of clonally propagated crops, experience with sweetpotato will be an advantage;
• Experience with participatory breeding and or gender approaches in plant breeding is desirable;
• Willing to travel extensively within Ghana and the region.

Conditions:

The employment contract will be for 2 years with the possibility of renewal subject to performance assessment and availability of funding. Salary will be internationally competitive, commensurate with experience. CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth