Back Principal Scientist-1 and Cluster Leader- Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is currently seeking a ‘Principal Scientist-1 and Cluster Leader- Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait’ under Global Research Program- Accelerated Crop Improvement.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilo meters of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems. Please visit https://www.icrisat.org/ for more details.

Aspirational targets and development outcomes

ICRISAT has set four bold targets in the next ten years that will enormously benefit the well-being of the drylands’ poorest people:

· Help halve rural poverty by increasing farm incomes through more productive, stable, diverse and profitable crops and crop products;

· Help halve hunger by contributing innovations that increase yields by 30% on a wide scale and through policy advice that stabilizes food prices and availability;

· Help halve childhood malnutrition by enhancing the nutrient content of staple food crops and helping the poor diversify their crops, delivering more nutritious and safer food; and

· Increase the resilience of dryland farming through innovations that stabilize, safeguard, and enhance natural resource capital, biological and systems diversity, and land

ICRISAT, with an annual budget of over USD60 million, has a global workforce of over 3000 individuals in Asia and Africa.

Position overview

ICRISAT has a compelling mission to fight poverty and improve the lives of people living in the drylands around the world. The drylands are harsh environments with some of the highest levels of poverty and malnutrition, impacted strongly by climate change and battling water shortages and environmental degradation. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be met unless we are persistent in escalating efforts towards finding solutions in these most challenged landscapes.

This is an exceptional opportunity to become a part of a modern and innovative agricultural research organization. ICRISAT is embarking on a journey to implement its new research structure in Asia, East and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa through its three newly carved global research programs. To implement its research for development agenda, ICRISAT is looking for a dynamic, experienced, exceptional, multi-talented candidate for the position of ‘Principal Scientist-1 and Cluster Leader- Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait’ for its Global Research Program “Accelerated Crop Improvement”.

With 80% Research and 20% Administrative responsibilities as Cluster Leader-Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering, the incumbent will lead a vibrant multi-disciplinary team and provide scientific leadership by combining multiple platforms to develop and test new biotechnological approaches to develop ICRISAT mandate crops to support the demand for increased yield and overall agricultural productivity.

The position will report to the Research Program Director – Accelerated Crop Improvement. This position will be hired through a Globally Competitive Recruitment process on a contract for a period of three years with an attractive compensation and benefits package payable in US dollars. A new contract may be offered at the end of the present tenure based on the performance of the incumbent, funding availability and the Institute’s continuing need for the position. The suitable candidate will need to be able to act fast, engage professionally and build relationships across multiple cultures, besides working closely with the Institute’s Leadership Team and scientists across all our locations in Asia and Africa.

Primary Responsibilities

· Lead contributions to the organizational strategy by innovatively identifying, prioritizing, and managing key research issues of Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering.

· Secure, sustain and manage the necessary human, financial, and material support, by reaching their assigned resource mobilization targets and play a lead role in ensuring that ICRISAT attains corporate annual resource mobilization targets.

· Contribute regularly and significantly to top quality international scientific literature, and demonstrating impact of research and delivery activities.

· Lead the development of a high performing and impactful global team of researchers.

· Collaborate with national and international partners and stakeholders to achieve the required impact of the institute’s research agenda in the Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering operations.

· Disseminate the strategic agenda and policy brief to international partners and stakeholders.

· Engage with ICRISAT management, donors and partners to better position ICRISAT’s research portfolio internationally.

· Design and ensure execution of ICRISAT’s research agenda related to Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering in adherence to the defined schedules and timeline, in compliance with the institute SOPs/policies.

· Ensure timely utilization of the financial resources allocated for the implementation of the project activities.

· Prioritizing and targeting constraints in grain legumes (Groundnut, Pigeonpea and Chickpea) and dryland cereals (Sorghum, Pearl Millet and Finger millet) for which no genetic traits are available in conventional plant breeding applications;

· Developing biotechnological tools towards gene validations, genetic and genome engineering as well as translational research activities;

· Genetic engineering and gene editing of grain legumes (groundnut, pigeonpea and chickpea and sorghum), and functional genomics approaches aimed at integrating useful traits including enhanced diseases and pest resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and nutritional enhancement;

· Translational research activities including biosafety assessment of transgenic products, and building the capacities of stakeholders in different target countries of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to comply with the internationally and nationally laid out biosafety regulations and stewardship aspects in the public sector transgenic crops;

· Integrate scientific innovations to design and build new biological functions and systems to generate robust breeding pipelines using existing as well as newer genome editing technologies with special focus on ICRISAT mandate crops;

Candidate profile

Qualifications and Core Competencies

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following skills, knowledge, experience, and personal characteristics:

· Minimum Education: The candidate must have agricultural experience and should hold a PhD in Biotechnology or related discipline of Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering (Agriculture / Biological Sciences)

· Experience: Min 10 years of Post-PhD experience is required in the area of Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering with high quality research outputs including an excellent record of publication in high impact journals with minimum 3-4 years as a Senior Scientist or an equivalent role.

· Demonstrated ability to write proposals and resource mobilization in the area of Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering or similar areas.

· Well connected with institutions, organization in the relevant areas of research.

· Experience of leading multicultural, multi-disciplinary scientific teams and ability to work across diverse environments and cultures.

· Excellent written and oral skills in English. Knowledge of other international languages, especially French, will be an advantage.

Skills and Knowledge

· Demonstrated leadership abilities, commitment towards organizational goals and strong interpersonal skills.

· A deep understanding of agricultural science in Biotechnology and allied sciences.

· Specialized technical skills in Gene editing, Genetic Engineering, Crop Improvement, Molecular Biology, etc.

· Proactive and achievement oriented.

· Collaborate with all ICRISAT research units across all locations and various NARS and international research institutions in providing Biotechnology science support and provide reliable backstopping to multidisciplinary teams of researchers during the research cycle.

· Contribute to research publications of scientists and research scholars, and documentation of in the Cell and Molecular Biology and Trait Engineering.

· Track record of peer reviewed publications in agricultural research and allied sciences.

· Proactive and independent problem solver, and an excellent team player.

Assignment Location:

The position will be based at ICRISAT’s headquarters in Patancheru, near Hyderabad, Telangana State, India. Hyderabad is the largest city and capital of the Telangana State; and also the de jure capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is India’s fourth largest city; and is a fascinating combination of the ancient and the modern India.

Hyderabad has developed into one of the major hubs for the information technology industry in India. In addition to the IT industry, various biotechnology and pharmaceutics companies have set up their operations in Hyderabad owing to its established Public sector in Life Science Research and Genome Valley. The city incubates several promising start-up companies and is one of the most exciting business centers in the country.

Located at the crossroads of North and South India, Hyderabad has cultivated a unique culture that is reflected in its language and architecture. Hyderabad is known for its rich history, food and its multi-lingual culture. There are four major languages spoken in Hyderabad: Hindi, Deccani-Urdu, Telugu and English. English is the language of business and administration and is widely spoken and understood. The Hyderabadi cuisine is known for its delectable flavours. Traditional Hyderabadi Dum Biryani is the most celebrated dish from Hyderabad.

Hyderabad has world class education facilities. While it is home to the prestigious International Business School, the city also houses educational institutes and schools imparting various national and international curriculum. It is noteworthy, ICRISAT hosts the International School of Hyderabad within its campus.

Hyderabad is an ideal destination for expatriation. A vibrant international community, warm and friendly residents, negligible crime rate, sophisticated luxury hotels, sprawling shopping malls, boutique cafes and world class recreation facilities make the city an ideal destination for global citizens.