Post – Doctoral Fellow- Irrigation and Water Management

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture(ICBA) is an international, non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999 through the visionary leadership of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ICBA is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world that is focused on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world. ICBA is an equal opportunity employer and appoints qualified staff regardless of race, creed, color, age, gender, religion or national origin. We demonstrate our commitment to each member of our team through a competitive benefits package designed to assist our employees to cover their needs and the needs of their immediate family members.

Job Summary

The Postdoc will work on different aspects of irrigation water management with a special focus on improving water use efficiency and safe use of different quality waters for irrigation. He/she will work on introducing and testing water conservation strategies for marginal environments. He/she will also work with a multidisciplinary team to test and evaluate technical and economic feasibility of different irrigation technologies. He/she will assist team members to conduct applied research and in the execution of on-going project through data collection, surveys, data analysis, data keeping, and reports and scientific papers writing.

Job Responsibilities
  • Undertake applied research related to the optimization of irrigation water use for marginal environments and their impact on the environment.
  • Participate in developing research proposals and projects related to improving water use efficiency and improving crop water productivity for internal and external funding
  • Planning, developing and implementing projects related to improved irrigation management for agricultural production
  • Assist in the surveys and other data collection activities to be conducted in different projects.
  • Derive results from compilation and synthesis of experimental data for the inferences and outputs to publish scientific reports and research papers in refereed journals
  • Prepare scientific reports and publications on area of expertise
  • Assist in the preparation of ICBA publications, including the newsletter
  • Supervise field assistants and irrigation team in the ICBA farm
  • Assist the stakeholders (farmers, researchers, extension officers, and associated entrepreneurs) with technical backstopping
  • Assist in the organization of meetings with stakeholders within and outside ICBA.  
  • Any other assignments by the supervisor in the interest of ICBA
Qualifications and Experience
  • PhD in Agricultural Engineering/irrigation/water management from a well-known, recognized University (completed within last 5 years)
  • 2-3 years of field experience in data collection and analysis in irrigation projects
  • Excellent knowledge of design, operation and maintenance of irrigation technologies (drip/sprinkler/surface).
  • Good knowledge to do field measurements of soil salinity, groundwater table depths, irrigation water applications, soil and water sampling etc.
  • Capacity to undertake field surveys and work in rough field conditions.
  • Knowledge of instrumentation (sensors, data loggers etc) and SCADA system will be a plus.
  • Knowledge of GIS/RS will be an added advantage.
  • Knowledge of programming / coding will be an added advantage 
  • Expereince working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
  • International work experience
  • Excellent communication, teamwork and writing skills
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
Post Date
17 مارس 2020
Status
Closed
Vacancy Type
Full-time
Closing Date
5 أغسطس 2020
Location
ICBA HQ- Dubai
Report To
Senior Scientist - Water and Irrigation Management
Job Number
ICBADP-DXB-2020-012