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Agricultural / Environmental Data Scientist

Dhaka | Delhi

  • Organization: CIMMYT - International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
  • Location: Dhaka | Delhi
  • Grade: Administrative support - FG I, Function Group 1, Contract Agent
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Statistics
    • Environment
    • Agriculture and Forestry
    • Information Technology and Computer Science
    • Scientist and Researcher
  • Closing Date: Closed

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is a not-for-profit agricultural research for development organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

We are seeking an enthusiastic, organized, competent and development-oriented Data Scientist to join our team and contribute to the USAID and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded ‘Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia’ (CSISA) and an exciting new Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) project ‘Big Data to Climate Smart Agriculture’ (BigData2CSA), both led by CIMMYT Sustainable Intensification Program. The Agricultural and Environmental Data Scientist will become an integral member of our applied research team.

The position will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Delhi, India, or Kathmandu, Nepal.

Specific duties:

  • Collection, assembly, processing and visual representation of large datasets to describe patterns in agricultural productivity, resilience of cropping systems and corresponding explanatory factors using data mining and machine learning.
  • Conduct research to identify agricultural, climate, environmental, market and socioeconomic data sources (structured and unstructured) and automate data collection /processing into structured databases with standard meta-data.
  • Develop and/or adapt seamless ICT-based tools for field data collection, passive data capture, and cloud-based processing for primary data.
  • Collaborate with CIMMYT scientists to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from observations of cereal-based farming systems.
  • Collaborate with CIMMYT scientists and CIMMYT’s partners to develop user-friendly decision support tools (dashboards and/or web apps) and ICT-based agricultural advisory systems, including back-end design and contributions to front-end architecture, as well as training in tool use and efforts to assure dissemination.
  • Develop and lead an active training program for CIMMYT’s partners in South Asia to increase data analytical skills and to institutionalize big-data capacity.
  • Work with CIMMYT scientists to collaboratively develop a portfolio of high-profile peer-reviewed publications.
  • Contribute to project design, development, and implementation.
  • Perform other duties as requested by the supervisor(s).

Required academic qualifications, skills and attitudes:

  • PhD degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Computer Engineering or similar discipline with application in and/or strong knowledge of agricultural and environmental issues. Candidates may also have a PhD in Agricultural or Environmental Science (or related discipline) with strong evidence of Computer Science, Statistics or Computer Engineering skills.
  • Proficiency in computer programming and statistical computing (e.g. Python, R, MATLAB, FORTRAN). Knowledge of JAVA is beneficial.
  • Demonstrated experience using machine learning with deep neural architectures to identify patterns in agricultural, climate, environmental and remotely sensed data, and to make practical inferences from research results.
  • Practical experience and working knowledge in distributed computing system such as Spark, Hadoop and ability to build automate workflows across machines and platforms in cloud computing environments.
  • Knowledge of hardware set-up, integration, server set-up and maintenance is beneficial.
  • Demonstrated ability to publish peer-reviewed papers.
  • The selected candidate should exhibit the following core skills and interests: a) ability to work cooperatively in an interdisciplinary environment and within multi-stakeholder partnerships, b) strong interest in assuring development impact from research activities, c) organizational skills and delivery orientation, d) an interest in training young scientists and national research partners.
  • The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Teamwork, Communication, Proactivity, Collaboration and Multi-Cultural Awareness.

The position is for an initial fixed-term of three (3) years, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT’s internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment.

Candidates must apply online to IRS19123_Agricultural/Environmental Data Scientist. Screening and follow up will begin on Friday, May 24, 2019. Applications must include a CV and a letter of interest. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. For further information on the selection process, please contact Yessica Castillo (y.castillo@cgiar.org)

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

This position will remain open until filled. 

CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.

This vacancy is now closed.
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