The African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) is an externally funded centre, training plant breeders at the PhD level, from 15 African countries. Students undertake two years of academic study at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, followed by three years of field research in their home countries, working in their national research programmes. The ACCI is also undertaking institutional support of several African universities, in the field of Plant Breeding. The Generation Challenge Programme is funding the position and includes research funding. The School has a well equipped Molecular Biology unit.
The successful candidate will typically be a plant breeder who has developed expertise in the use of biotechnology tools to advance practical plant breeding. S/he will teach postgraduate modules in Plant Biotechnology as it relates to Plant Breeding and supervise students using biotechnology tools in their PhD research. The post will require visiting students in the field, requiring travel in Africa. S/he will undertake independent research in the application of Plant Biotechnology to African food crops, developing a ?biotechnology toolbox? for plant breeders. The incumbent will also assist in the institutional support programme at selected African universities. Applicants at all three levels will be considered.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
FOR ALL LEVELS:
- A PhD or equivalent degree, in an appropriate field of plant breeding;
- Experience of supervision of postgraduate students or mentoring of junior staff;
- Experience in modern molecular techniques.
PROFESSOR
- Ten years of work experience at tertiary institution/s OR ten years in appropriate industry/ies or research institute/s;
- Independent research competence as demonstrated by international peer-reviewed publications, with a sustained publication record in the field of plant breeding;
- Successful supervision of doctoral students OR management and development of staff in industry.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
- Five years of work experience at tertiary institution/s OR five years in appropriate industry/ies or research institute/s;
- Independent research competence as demonstrated by international peer-reviewed publications, with a sustained publication record in the field of plant breeding;
- Successful supervision of masters and doctoral students.
SENIOR LECTURER
- Evidence of current research activity and a record of publication in the field of plant breeding.
ADVANTAGES:
- A current rating by the National Research Foundation for South African candidates;
- Evidence of sourcing and management of research funding.
Applicants must stipulate the level of appointment at which they are applying.
For further information about the ACCI kindly contact the Director, Professor MD Laing, on +27 (0)33 260 5524, via e-mail at laing@ukzn.ac.za or visit the website at http://www.acci.org.za.
The remuneration package offered includes benefits and will be dependent on the qualifications and/or experience of the successful applicant. The selection process will commence on 8 December 2006 and will continue until a suitable candidate is appointed or a decision is taken not to fill the post.
Applicants are required to submit a covering letter, highlighting their experience in each of the minimum requirements listed above, together with a detailed CV including the name, full address, fax number and e-mail address of three referees, to Mrs J. Poulter, Human Resources Administration, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, Fax. No. +27 (0) 33 260 5356 or e-mail poulterj@ukzn.ac.za.
All Appointments will be in terms of the prevailing University Employment Equity Policy and the Employment Equity Plan of the faculty/division (available on request). The University reserves the right not to make an appointment or to stop the process at any stage to headhunt or re-advertise the post to meet its equity goals. Candidates who do not meet the minimum criteria will not be considered.
A smaller meeting will be also held at the same venue after PAG on 18 January, 9am to 1pm to discuss further the feedback from the users meeting and plans for improvements in the platform for 2007.
To register for either meeting please send you name, email address and the GCP project(s) you are involved with to Guy Davenport at CIMMYT (g.davenport@cgiar.org).
GCP Informatics Platform User's Meeting
1:30pm to 3:30pm
16 January 2007
Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) XV Conference
Town & Country Convention Center, San Diego, California
Read the full text here.
Source: The Global Crop Diversity Trust
The Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) is seeking a creative and self-motivated candidate for the position of Communications Manager. The Communications Manager will lead the Communications unit and is responsible for the development and implemenation of the program?s communications strategy, including the following activities:
- Coordinate production of GCP reports and publications
- Serve as strategic communications advisor to the GCP Director
- Contribute to donor, partner, and stakeholder relations
- Create content for and manage the development of www.generationcp.org, the GCP?s website
- Supervise the organization of the GCP Annual Research Meeting
- Design, initiate, and manage publicity and marketing efforts to promote the GCP to key audiences
- Supervise Communications Assistant, Designer, and outside consultants and vendors.
The Generation Challenge Programme is seeking candidates with the following qualifications:
- Bachelor?s degree required. Master?s degree preferred.
- 5-8 years communications-for-development and/or journalistic experience.
- Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, and will preferably have facility in a second major language.
- Experience working abroad and/or in international environments preferred.
- Basic understanding of plant biology a plus.
- Must be highly organized and reliable about meeting deadlines, and able to track and juggle multiple projects both short- and long-term.
- Must be able to think critically about problems and propose innovative, flexible solutions.
- Must enjoy a dynamic work environment that encourages teamwork, brainstorming and creative input.
- Must be committed to the mission of the Generation Challenge Programme and sensitive to working in a multicultural environment.
The position is for an initial fixed-term contract of two years, with high possibility of renewal for 5 years subject to performance and approval of GCP phase two (2009-2013). An internationally competitive and attractive salary and benefits package will be negotiated with the successful candidate. The Communications Manager will report directly to the GCP Director and be based at Generation Challenge Programme Headquarters, at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Texcoco, Mexico.
The Generation Challenge Programme (www.generationcp.org) is an internationally funded, non-profit research and training programme on plant biology that was created by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in 2003 to bring together research efforts at public and private research institutions in developed and developing countries to build a platform of publicly available genetic and genomic resources and tools that can be used to deliver the fruits of the Genomics Revolution to resource-poor farmers. The Generation Challenge Programme has an annual budget of USD $14 million.
To apply, send via email a letter of application with a writing sample and your recent curriculum vitae, including postal and e-mail addresses and fax number, and have letters of recommendation sent from three referees to the email address below by 24 November 2006.
Ms. Griselda Marquez, GCP Executive Assistant
(Ref. GCP Communications Manager)
Generation Challenge Programme
c/o CIMMYT, Int.
Apdo. Postal 6-641 06600
Mexico, D.F. MEXICO
Phone: (+52) 55-5804-2004
Fax: (+52) 55-5804-7558
Email: g.marquez@cgiar.org
The Generation Challenge Programme is an equal-opportunity employer and strives for diversity in gender and nationality among its staff.
- Development of Genomics Resources for Molecular Breeding of Drought Tolerance in Cassava
Lead PI: Pablo Rabinowicz, TIGR - Genetic Dissection of Drought Adaptive Mechanisms in Bread and Durum Whet through Large Scale Phenotyping Methodologies
Lead PI: Matthew Reynolds, CIMMYT - Tailoring Superior Alleles of Abiotic Stress Genes for Deployment into Breeding Programs: A case Study based on Association Analysis for Alt. A Major al Tolerance Gene in Sorghum
Lead PI: Jurandir Vieira Magalhaes, EMBRAPA - Interspecific bridges that give full access to the African rice allele pool for enhancing drought tolerance of Asian Rice
Lead PI: Alain Ghesquiere, IRD/LGDP - Genomic dissection of tolerance to drought stress in wild barley
Lead PI: Robbie Waugh, SCRI - Detecting and fine-mapping QTLs with major effects on rice yield under drought stress for deployment via marker-aided breeding
Lead PI: Gary Atlin, IRRI
Each two-year project will be funded between US$280,000 and US$450,000 per year. Executive and scientific summaries for each project can be found on the GCP website at http://www.generationcp.org/20072008_competitive_grants_round_2.
Please note that the final approval of these awards will be made by the GCP Programme Steering Committee at its meeting at the end of November 2006.
About the Generation Challenge Programme
The Generation Challenge Programme is a consortium of 18 crop research centers that aims to use genetic diversity and the tools of genomics and biotechnology to fortify developing country agriculture against such harvest-devastating threats as low soil fertility, pest and disease epidemics, and drought. Funding for the GCP comes from the European Commission, The World Bank, and the UK Department for International Development, among others. Visit the Generation Challenge Programme on the web at www.generationcp.org.
Read more about this "turbocharged" form of plant breeding here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06304/734411-115.stm.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Author: n/a
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has announced a change to its intellectual property (IP) policy, under which the institute's research will be made available to all, provided they do no not place restrictions on its use by anyone else. The press release says the new policy echoes the software industry's "open-source" movement. IRRI had already offered "relatively free" use of its information to other parties, but the press release says that now, potential users need not ask permission. The press release also reports on IRRI's involvement in a plan initiated at this year's International Rice Congress (IRC) in New Delhi, India. The IRC's ministerial roundtable released a document called the "Delhi Declaration on Rice," which agrees to the establishment of "a comprehensive partnership among the participants through strengthened dialogue on a regular basis for strengthening rice research and development efforts laying greater emphasis on the social, cultural, and human dimensions." IRRI will host a task force comprising a representative group of experts to develop a road map for this purpose. IRRI is one of the 15 research centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The press release and a link to the Delhi Declaration text are available online at the link below.
http://www.irri.org/media/press/press.asp?id=142
Source: Food Security and A-Biotech News
(1) Physical mapping of molecular merakers on bread wheat chromosomes
(2) Development and use of molecular markers of QTL analysis for fibre quality and lignin content in jute (Corchorus olitorius/capsularia)
Research will be carried out at the Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, CCS University, Meerut. Candidates should hold a PhD degree for the post of Research Associate and an MS degree for the post of Research Fellow in any area of the Life Sciences, but candidates with experience in research on molecular marker technology will be preferred.
Interested individuals should send their CVs to Dr. PK Gupta (pkgupta36@gmail.com) or to Dr. HS Balyan (hsbalyan@rediffmail.com) of the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, CCS University, Meerut.
Further information about the university is available at www.ccsuniversity.org.
Applications for IFS Research Grants are welcome from young scientists in developing countries to do research on the sustainable management, use, or conservation of biological or water resources. An eligible candidate for an IFS Research grant must be
- a citizen of a developing country
- a scientist with at least a Master's or equivalent degree/research experience
- under 40 years of age and at the beginning of his/her research career (Researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa are eligible for IFS support up to the age of 45, provided they have completed their highest academic degree (MSc, MA, PhD, Post-Doc or equivalent) in the previous 5 years
- affiliated with a university, national research institution or a research-oriented NGO in a developing country
For further information, visit http://www.ifs.se/Forms/how_to_apply.asp.
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