Senior Scientist – Marginal 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 (IsDB), 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 senior scientist in marginal water management will develop, lead and implement research-for-development programs on marginal water management including matching water management interventions to biophysical and social landscape conditions, and sustainable intensification of production in mixed farming and irrigation systems. This includes interdisciplinary projects related to integrated land and water management, particularly under a changing climate with a specific focus on drylands, rangelands and deserts.

Job Responsibilities
  • Bring innovative approaches to research on sustainable water management technologies appropriate for agriculture in marginal regions to raise agricultural water productivity, improve resilience of agricultural ecosystems, protect land from degradation, and contribute to the livelihoods of smallholder producers;
  • Develop, lead and implement research projects related to automation and sensor-based irrigation management (using new technologies for water productivity research);
  • Interact and collaborate with other research programs (internally and externally) to develop, implement and lead multidisciplinary research activities and participate in developing technical reports, extension materials as well as corporate publications such as annual and bi-annual reports, newsletters, articles, brochures etc.;
  • Design and set up field trials and conduct all related technical operations across the crop cycle;
  • Conduct field surveys, agricultural data collection, as well as the synthesis and analysis of data employing scientific rigor required for high-level international publications;
  • Develop and take part in workshops, conferences and capacity-building programs for scientists and regional specialists in water and natural resources management;
  • Authoring papers for publications in refereed journals;
  • Develop projects related to their area of expertise and in line with ICBA’s mandate. Lead the preparation of concept notes and proposals to secure internal and external funding;
  • Supervise students, interns, technicians and workers involved in the research activities;
  • Work with ICBA’s partners including the private sector, national centers, universities for advancing innovations for integrated water and land management;
  • Assist in the creation of networks with regional, national and international institutions and take part in those already in place, and conduct collaborative research with stakeholders and network partners;
  • Assist as required the Directorate of Programs’ research and development agenda and resource mobilization initiatives.
Qualifications and Experience

Essential

  • A Ph.D. in water and/or natural resources management;
  • At least 10 years of experience in water management research, studies related to small-scale irrigation systems, and in the use of computer-assisted technologies for irrigation management and irrigated crop research;
  • A strong publication record in indexed peer-reviewed journals;
  • Fluency in written and spoken English;
  • Experience working as a member of multidisciplinary teams;
  • Ability to independently design and conduct field research;
  • International work experience.

Desired

  • Experience in marginal water resources management;
  • Knowledge of GIS/RS and simulation models;
  • Experience in Artificial Intelligence and programing/coding;
  • Knowledge of Arabic and/or French.
Post Date
23 December 2019
Status
Closed
Vacancy Type
Full-time
Closing Date
9 January 2020
Location
Dubai, UAE
Report To
Program Leader – Sustainable Natural Resource Management
Job Number
ICBADP-DXB-2019-023