Rice is life for millions of people around the world. At the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a team of more than 1,300 world-class scientific and support staff is working to reduce poverty through rice science.

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to work on an IRRI-led CPWF project in the coastal zones of the Ganges in Bangladesh (BGD), namely Project G1 (Resource profiles, extrapolation domains and land-use plans). G1 is one of five projects in the Ganges Basin related to more productive, profitable, resilient, and diversified rice-based cropping systems in the coastal zones of BGD. The successful applicant will work closely with team members in all five projects to develop resource profiles at selected experimental sites and of the southwest coastal zone, extrapolation domains to determine where new technologies are most likely to be successful, and land use plans under current and different hydrological scenarios in the future.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with G1 project partners and data providers in BGD to create a geodatabase of relevant information in the coastal zone of the Ganges Basin, such as soil and salinity profiles, hydrological information, land use/land cover, socioeconomic data, and infrastructure at 1:50,000 scale or better.
• Use this geodatabase to derive resource characterization profiles for the experimental sites and polders where the related Ganges projects are based.
• Work with the Project Leader, other senior project members, and the Basin project partners and stakeholders to develop a robust methodology to determine 'what works where' by mapping extrapolation domains for technologies and policies promoted by the other Basin projects.
• Work with project partners to update or develop a current land use plan and maps of future land use change under plausible future hydrological scenarios. This will be conducted in close collaboration with the G4 project responsible for hydrological modeling of the coastal zone of the Ganges Basin.
• Consult and work with project partners and stakeholders throughout the duration of the project on matters related to spatial analysis and map provision.
• Publish scientific outputs through national and international journals, proceedings, conferences, and workshops.
• While based in Dhaka, make frequent field trips to the coastal zone of BGD.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate will have a recent PhD in geography, water or land management, or related field; at least 5 years' hands-on experience on GIS, spatial analysis, resource management, and rice-based cropping systems in South Asia; experience in working in multipartner research and development programs; good experience in land use modeling, multicriteria evaluation methods and statistical analytical tools such as R; good writing skills; good publication record; and good written and spoken English.

The position will be based in Bangladesh, with a competitive compensation and benefit package. IRRI provides a multicultural work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply. Interested candidates should submit their application to IRRIRecruitment@irri.org. Screening will start on 15 February 2012 and will continue until a suitable candidate has been found. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. The full position description may be found at http://www.irri.org.