Research Officer I (Human Health Theme) at icipe – African Insect Science for Food and Health

Job Description

Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, icipe was established in , to address this very paradox of insects and accompanying challenges. The Centre’s mission is to use insect science for sustainable development, to ensure food security and improve the overall health of communities in Africa by addressing the interlinked problems of poverty, poor health, low agricultural productivity and environmental degradation. Since its founding, icipe has remained committed to developing and disseminating environmentally safe, affordable, acceptable and accessible tools and strategies to control insect pests and disease vectors. icipe’s mandate further extends to the sustainable conservation and utilisation of Africa’s rich biodiversity. icipe is the only international institution in Africa working primarily on arthropods. Therefore capacity building of individual researchers and institutions in Africa is an integral part of all the Centre’s research and development activities. icipe also aims to empower women, harness the youth and build capacity to use, transfer and teach the Centre’s technologies. How we work

Overall Purpose of the Job

To support research projects based at ITOC Mbita and Muhaka Filed Station with One Health and veterinary component; this includes the support of experimental work with animals, development of animal health protocols and animal surveillance at a community level.

Specific Duties

 Support the development of study protocols and standard operating procedures with veterinary components.  Support the development of animal health protocols for semi-field experiments and field trials.  Provide oversight and technical support on animal welfare in experimental studies.  Provide training to field staff and community on handling of animals and application of insecticides and implementation of animal health surveys.  Implement fieldwork, including screening of animals for ectoparasites and community engagement activities as well as formative surveys according to SOPs.  Implement tungiasis household surveys to identify Tunga penetrans on-host and off-host stages in animals, people and the environment.  Support the project PI with data analysis and preparation of summary reports.  Contribute to stakeholder engagement activities.

Requirements/Qualifications

 First degree in Veterinary Medicine or related field with at least 2 years of work experience in R&D.  Registered Veterinary Practitioner.  Minimum of 2 years’ experience in handling livestock.  Trained in diagnoses of skin diseases in livestock specifically tungiasis.  Registration by the Veterinary Board of Kenya.  Understanding of research ethics and informed consent process.  Understanding of animal welfare issues and protocol preparation for approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to ensure ethical and sensitive care and use of animals in research.  Experienced in using tablets or smartphones for data entry.  Practical experience in implementation of tungiasis community and school-wide surveys  Experienced in the application of Metharizium-based products and monitoring of animal health indicators.  Experienced in working with communities and government stakeholders.

Other Desirable Attributes

 Excellent problem-solving skills, working under minimal supervision.  Excellent communication and presentation skills.  Experience in qualitative survey techniques such as key informant interviews.

Reporting

This position reports to the Postdoctoral Fellow