PostDoc position – Transdisciplinary research to reduce post-harvest losses and to add value in food value chains

Call for application [» download PDF]

Organisation/Project: DITSL at the University of Kassel, GlobE Project: RELOAD
Application deadline: April, 30^st 2013 or until the position is filled

DITSL is a non-profit limited liability company (GmbH) at the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences of the University of Kassel at Witzenhausen. DITSL conducts research on agricultural systems as human activity systems following an inter- and transdisciplinary social-ecological approach.

We are looking for a dynamic, highly motivated and innovative scientist for a Post Doc position in the frame of the collaborative research project RELOAD: Reduction of Post Harvest Losses and Value Addition in East African Food Value Chains. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and led by the University of Kassel in Germany.

Within RELOAD, DITSL leads the subproject “Transdisciplinary research: Stakeholder processes, knowledge integration and collaborative learning”. We will investigate food value chains (mainly milk and meat and to some extent vegetables, grains and tubers) as human activity systems, with a focus on communication, collaboration and competition of various actors. Research will focus on actors, their goals, perspectives, strategies, activities, needs and room for maneuvre. Starting out from a stakeholder analysis and the formation of stakeholder platforms, we will offer learning opportunities to the actors to reveal control options in food value chains - so that losses can be reduced and value addition enhanced. We will explore possibilities for collective action by producer groups to bring about benefits especially in the areas of strengthening marketing capacity and market linkages.

The Post Doc:

• will lead research activities in Kenya and is expected to conduct field research for about 4 - 6 months per year,
• will advance methodology in transdisciplinary research,
• will contribute to capacity building through training of PhD and MSc students,
• will support project management (financial, logistic, reporting),
• will coordinate the research activities with other partners in the RELOAD project.

We offer a Post Doc position (TV_L 13, 80 %) for 3 years starting 1^st of July 2013. The project contains the research funds to pursue extended empirical research abroad.

Qualifications of the applicant:

• PhD in agricultural/rural -sociology, -economics, -development or -system science, human or economic geography, organizational behaviour or related discipline.
• Practical experience in (community based) action research, in designing and facilitating learning processes with producer organisations or in value chain development.
• Interest and experience in working with scientists of other disciplines and with societal stakeholders in Kenya (and to a limited extent in Ethiopia and Uganda).
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Knowledge of German and/or Kiswahili is an asset.
• Very good writing skills, team work orientation and good communication skills.

Female and male applicants are equally encouraged to apply for this position.

Application documents:

• A letter of motivation
• Curriculum Vitae
• Publication list
• Summary of the PhD thesis
• Copies of relevant certificates
• Contact details of 2-3 referees

Please submit these documents by email in a single PDF file to PD Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann ( b.kaufmann@ditsl.org).

Candidate screening will start May 1^st 2013 and continue until the position is filled.
Contact: PD Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann, DITSL GmbH Witzenhausen at the University of Kassel Steinstrasse 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Phone: +49 (0) 5542 607 19 (direct)

4 PhD Scholarships for Kenyan applicants: Pastoral meat value chains

Call for application [» download PDF]

Organisation/Project: These studies will be jointly implemented between University of Nairobi, the National Museums of Kenya and the German Institute for Agriculture in the Tropics and Subtropics (DITSL) at the University of Kassel in Germany. GlobE Project: RELOAD: Reduction of Post Harvest Losses and Value Addition in East African Food Value Chains
Application deadline: Selection of candidates will start on 1^st of May 2013 and continue until positions are filled.

RELOAD: Reduction of Post Harvest Losses and Value Addition in East African Food Value Chains builds a research network between partners in Germany, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. It is a 5 year collaborative project led by the Institute for Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kassel in Germany. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF),
and starts in June 2013.

In Kenya, one focus of RELOAD is on pastoral meat value chains. The high losses along the meat value chain include material losses i.e. weight loss prior to slaughter, wastage of animal products and byproducts, losses in quality as meat products are highly perishable and economic losses due to low net profit margins for the producers. Four PhD thesis projects will analyse different possibilities to reduce losses and increase efficiency along the pastoral meat value chains. These studies will be jointly implemented between University of Nairobi, the National Museums of Kenya and the German Institute for Agriculture in the Tropics and Subtropics (DITSL) at the University of Kassel in Germany.

PhD candidates will be registered at either the University of Nairobi or at the University of Kassel.

The following PhD topics are on offer. In all cases applicants need to have very good knowledge on pastoral production.

1. Assessing the potential of stratified livestock production and marketing systems to reduce losses along the pastoral meat value chain.
   Interest and good knowledge on: Rangeland management, livestock nutrition and husbandry and livestock marketing.
   Contact: Dr. Oliver Wasonga, University of Nairobi, email oliverwasonga@uonbi.ac.ke, o.wasonga@ditsl.org. Scholarship starts in January 2014.
2. Assessing the potential of pastoral marketing associations to reduce economic losses.
   Interest and good knowledge on: community based approaches, farmer groups and collective action, institutional economy, network analysis, linking farmers to markets.
   Contact Assoc. Prof. Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann, DITSL, email b.kaufmann@ditsl.org or Dr. Oliver Wasonga, email oliverwasonga@uonbi.ac.ke, o.wasonga@ditsl.org. Starts in January 2014.
3. Upgrading traditional meat preservation techniques.
   Interest and good knowledge on: Value addition in meat processing, food science, community based approaches, indigenous knowledge in pastoral production system, micro-enterprise development.
   Contact: Dr. Hassan Roba, National Museums of Kenya, email: guyoroba@yahoo.com, h.roba@ditsl.org. Scholarship starts in August 2013.
4. Collaborative learning approaches for stakeholders in the pastoral meat value chain.
   Interest and good knowledge on: Designing interactive learning: adult learning & experiential learning; facilitating and managing learning processes.
   Contact: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann, b.kaufmann@ditsl.org. Starts in September 2013.

For each topic we offer a PhD scholarship and the research funds to pursue empirical field research. Furthermore candidates will be able to access research infrastructure at the University of Nairobi, the National Museums of Kenya and the DITSL in Witzenhausen in Germany.

Qualifications of the applicants:

• Excellent master or equivalent degree in agricultural sciences, natural resource management, range management, animal production, veterinary sciences, agricultural economics, geography, development studies or related fields.
• Very good English communication and writing skills
• Team work orientation and networking skills.

You are a particularly suitable candidate if you:

• have your family background in pastoral systems.
• have practiced and liked participatory research and cooperation with practitioners.
• Have experience in the area of the PhD study for which you apply.

Female and male applicants are equally encouraged to apply for these positions.

Application
Please specify the topic to which you apply and provide a statement of motivation for you to choose this topic. Submit your documents to the respective contact person. Application documents comprise: A letter of motivation (indicating the topic you apply for), Curriculum Vitae, Publication list, Summary of the master thesis, Copies of relevant certificates, Contact details of 2-3 referees. Please submit these documents by email in one single PDF file. Selection of candidates will start on 1^st of May 2013 and continue until positions are filled.

Kenya – DAAD Postgraduate Training Programme 2012-2013

3rd Call for PhD Scholarship Applications

The Kenya Vision 2030 policy document recommends investment in Science, Technology & Innovation (ST&I) in priority key sectors. One such area involves capacity building in the universities through advanced training of personnel. As part of this initiative, in June 2010, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MOHEST) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) signed a five (5) year Agreement for cooperation in Postgraduate Training open to all fields of study. The programme is administered by the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) on behalf of MOHEST. The main objective of the programme is to train twenty (20) Ph.D research students teaching in universities in Kenya for forty two (42) months (inclusive six (6) months German language course) at a German university. Since the inception of the programme, thirty seven (37) Kenyans have been awarded scholarships and are currently pursuing their training in Germany.

General Conditions for the Scholarships

For eligibility to the Kenya -DAAD Ph.D Scholarship, candidates must meet the following conditions:

• be citizen of the Republic of Kenya
• be teaching (full or part time) in Kenyan universities
• should have obtained the Master’s degree preferably within the past 6 years (date of graduation)
•  be willing to undertake a six (6) months German language course

The following documents must be attached to the application form:

• Cover sheet for DAAD Scholarship Application Form
•  DAAD Application Form  for Research Grants and Study Scholarships
• Hand-signed Curriculum Vitae  and list of publications (use the Europass specimen form at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu)
• Application letter indicating motivation to undertake Ph.D studies
• Ph.D proposal (10 – 15 pages; 1,5 spacing; 2,5cm space left, 2cm right) including an abstract of the proposal on one page (please include name and title of the proposal) and a detailed work plan for 3 years including time schedule covering the whole period of the scholarship
• Confirmation from a German Professor stating that he/she will supervise the applicant for his/her Ph.D thesis (in English) OR Admission letter from structured Ph.D Programme
• Two (2) recommendation letters of academic referees (on particular recommendation forms, provided by DAAD office)
• Certificates (each certified as true copy of the original certificate)
• -          Master’s degree certificate and transcripts for each year
• -          Bachelor’s degree certificate transcripts for each year
• -          A/O-level or KCSE certificate
• -          Copy of the national ID
• A Letter of support from the university, indicating the prospective function of the applicant within the university after return to Kenya. 

For further information on the scholarship program, please check the following websites:

http://nairobi.daad.de/kgphd.php; http://www.scienceandtechnology.go.ke; http://www.ncst.go.ke;

For research contacts in German check at the website: www.daad.de/research-explorer,

www.phdgermany.de, www.dfg.de/gepris

Applications (triplicate, hard copies) should be sent or delivered by Friday 28th September 2012 by 4:00pm at latest to:

The Coordinator, Kenya-DAAD Training Programme

National Council for Science and Technology

Utalii House 9th Floor Room 910

P.O. Box 30623-00100, NAIROBI

research@ncst.go.ke

Telephone no. +254 721434057 or +254 20-2242175

Climate protection: International fellowships for young leaders

Interested candidates from developing and emerging countries can now apply again for an International Climate Protection Fellowship offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The deadline for application is 1 December 2012.

 

The International Climate Protection Fellowship brings young leaders from developing and emerging countries to Germany for twelve months. Before submitting their applications, they must have selected and established contact with an appropriate host university or institution, where they will carry out free, independent research on a subject connected with climate protection and resource conservation. The Humboldt fellows also engage in intensive discussion of their research findings, methods and techniques with their host institutions. This year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation selects up to 15 young qualified leaders. 

 

To be eligible for a an International Climate Protection Fellowship, applicants must have gained a first degree in the last 12 years. They must also have a further academic or professional qualification or have worked in their chosen profession for at least four years. Leadership experience is also a selection criterion.

 

Tomorrow’s experts

 

The International Climate Protection Fellowships are primarily intended for people who are already engaged in climate protection,’ says Francois Buscot, a member of the selection committee. One of the key aims is to promote exchange of ideas among the recipients of the fellowship. To do that, they travel around Germany and get to know organizations engaged in the field of climate protection. The idea is that the fellowship recipients build up a network which they can then draw upon later when they are working around the world as experts in a range of fields.

 

A variety of additional benefits

 

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s support is not merely financial: the fellowship also includes a one or two-month intensive language course, an introductory seminar, training courses and a final meeting in Berlin for all fellows.

For further information and application, please refer to the website of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.