About the Project

Animals, plants, and microorganisms harvested and grown in water play a significant role in sustainably feeding and nourishing the world. Globally, 800 million people depend on small-scale fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. But these vital aquatic food systems are hindered by the insecure livelihoods of those in related jobs, their low capacity to adapt to climate change, and the loss of marine nature.

The Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway project, supported through the UK’s Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition (COAST) program under the umbrella of the Blue Planet Fund (BPF), will focus on enabling communities to adapt to and mitigate against climate change as well as responsibly and sustainably manage marine and coastal nature and resources resulting in improved food and nutritional security as well as employment and income opportunities.  The project will be implemented in two phases over seven years, starting with Phase 1 in Bangladesh, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania.

About the Position

WorldFish is looking for an internationally recruited a Post-doctoral Fellow specialist in Environmental Economics to be based in Penang, Malaysia.

This position will be responsible to support the achievement of the work package 2 [Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA): seawater Farming of Finfish-Bivalves-Seaweed] in Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh. This position will manage and implement the environmental economics research activities related to IMTA in Africa and Asia, under the direction of the work package 2 lead, who will be based in Malaysia.

The successful candidate will focus on conducting high quality applied research on environmental economics related to IMTA, with emphasis on assessing coastal aquaculture and mariculture technologies, practices and environmental impacts, establishing socioeconomic baseline of target communities, and analysing the current constraints and the opportunities for private sector involvement in the aquaculture value chains and markets.

The successful candidate will work in an interdisciplinary team of experts from different backgrounds, including aquaculture, fish nutrition, production systems, gender, climate change, scaling of innovations, science communication, rural development, and bioprocesses.

The successful candidate will:

• Take primary responsibility for environmental economics research implementation, data collection, data validation, quality assurance and analysis to achieve the research outcomes of BlueTech Project Work Package 2 Superhighways in Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh.
• Support the design and implementation of research and developments activities in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific
• Work collaboratively with the work package lead, the Project Leader, and other senior experts. This includes engaging with WorldFish and partner scientists across other geographies to learn from, and contribute to, a growing body of work on IMTA.
• Mentor BSc/MSc and PhD students and interns from national and international universities and organization based in Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh.
• Ensure strong communication and coordination with local partners and build productive relations with investors and development partners from the public and private sectors for scaling out research results.
• Under the guidance of senior team members, including the work package lead, produce high-quality scientific publications from project findings.
• Represent the project and WorldFish in national and international fora.
• Ensure timely reporting of project activities and outcomes per WorldFish and donor requirements.
• Contribute to resource mobilization for further feed work in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Requirements

The successful candidate will have:

• PhD in Environmental Economics, Environmental Sciences, Economics, Sustainable Aquaculture or related fields.
• A candidate with at least 2 years of highly relevant research experience will be considered for a scientist position where study experience is also highly relevant to the requirements of this position.
• Proven ability to develop and apply research on environmental economics aspects of aquaculture production systems and of sustainable aquaculture. Research on marine aquaculture ecosystems and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture will be highly valued.
• Proven competency with research design and statistical analysis.
• Strong publication track record for stage of career in relevant international peer-reviewed journals.
• Proven competency with the dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge.
• Experience with working with rural communities in Africa, Asia or the Pacific.
• Motivation for high-quality science and delivery of impact from research.
• Show proven interest and ability to develop and maintain a professional network in the field of IMTA research.
• High degree of cultural sensitivity and proven record of effective working relationships in multi-disciplinary, diverse teams.
• Excellent proficiency in spoken and written English.

Desired Skills/Experiences

• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Good organizational skills.
• Good leadership and mentoring skills.
• Project management experience.
• History of applying research outcomes to policy development.
• Experience developing information and education materials for government and community stakeholders.
• Experience in resource mobilization in the field of aquaculture development.

Benefits

This is an Internationally Recruited Staff (IRS) position with annual salary ranging between USD USD 47,900 – USD 69,700 per annum (for Scientist level) and USD 40,900 – USD 47,000 per annum (for Post-Doctoral Fellow level). WorldFish’s IRS shall receive comprehensive health insurance, life insurance, accident, and long-term disability insurance. Internationally recruited staff employed outside of their home base/country of nationality will also be eligible to receive relocation assistance, a housing allowance, home-leave plane tickets for self and eligible dependents and education assistance for school-age dependents between age 4 and high school graduation. All benefits are subject to terms and conditions.

The duration of the contract will initially be for a three-year period for Scientist position and two-year period for Post-Doctoral Fellow position with possibility for extension, depending on funding and performance.

Your application must include:

• A copy of your curriculum vitae,
• A cover letter which addresses key requirements stated above; and
• Contact information of three professional referees who may be contacted if you are short-listed for the position.

To be considered, applications must be submitted by no later than 24:00 (MYT), 16 August 2023.

Location: The post holder will be based in Penang, Malaysia. This position will involve international travel.

The screening will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants for WorldFish positions, we appreciate all interest, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Our Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

WorldFish has seven offices across Asia, Africa and the Pacific, with more than 400 staff and 27 nationalities who contribute to a dynamic multicultural work environment.

WorldFish is committed to promoting a work environment where diversity and inclusion is valued and we seek to have gender balance in the organization. We aim to also seek balance across other diversity dimensions.

People in WorldFish are treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnicity/race, national or social origin, disability, religion, political affiliation, age, family size, marital status or any other form of personal identity.

We are an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourage qualified women and men from developing nations to apply.