ILRI Hiring PhD Graduate Fellowship

•  Nairobi, Kenya

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The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a PhD graduate fellow to work on the development of African bovine pluripotent stem cell resources. The successful fellow will be hosted by the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) – Livestock Genetics program at ILRI.     

ILRIs’ mission is that people’s lives in low- and middle-income countries are improved through livestock science that contributes to equitable and resilient livestock systems in order to deliver food systems transformation with climate and environmental benefits.

It is the only one of 15 CGIAR Research Centres dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org

The Livestock Genetics program’s approach is to identify genetic/breeding bottlenecks limiting the benefits of livestock for small-scale farmers.

The program works with partners to apply established approaches to neglected systems, while simultaneously seeking innovative solutions which can accelerate (or skip) traditional approaches—for example use of genome editing. https://www.ilri.org/research/programs/livestock-genetics. The Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) supports programs that improve livestock-based livelihoods in the tropics. It is a strategic alliance of ILRI, the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, and Scotland’s Rural College. 

About the position

Precision breeding via genome editing in cattle is a promising approach to rapidly deliver improved germplasms with the desired allele variants suitable for productivity, adaptation and resilience. Identifying and testing preferential alleles for important traits in tropical cattle is difficult and requires expensive animal challenges on indigenous breeds, while phenotyping hybrid cattle to determine genotype–environment (GxE) interactions is costly and requires long term measurements over many years.

Development of enabling cell-based technology that can support and inform this process will shorten timelines and create bespoke biological tools that can be efficiently deployed in laboratory settings. Breed specific bovine pluripotent cells will be a permanent resource to study genome variations that underpin key traits, facilitating in vitro screening, cloning, editing, and biobanking.

The project also addresses the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) needs for responsible use of animals in scientific research.

This project will integrate with other CTLGH (and particularly Africa Asia Dairy Genetic Gains (AADGG)) project and genome editing initiatives by providing tools for in vitro phenotyping of selected genotypes in a multitude of cell types. Efforts will be oriented towards establishing the bovine embryonic stem cells for African indigenous cattle breeds.

The creation of bovine pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) resources is anticipated to offer opportunities in a longer term to develop in vitro phenotyping with the added benefit of accelerating precision breeding and fast delivery of tested germplasms.

The utility of cattle PSCs through applications will set the stage for future development of a living, accessible, biobank to archive the genetic and phenotypic diversity of African indigenous cattle breeds from which the cells are derived.

The PSCs will provide a source of differentiated cell types, of appropriate genetic backgrounds, with desired phenotypes (e.g. increased growth, resistance to pathogens or metabolic stress) for use in the identification of causal variants, the implementation of large scale CRISPR/Cas9 genetic screens in cells of defined genetic backgrounds. Additionally, these efforts will provide resources and technical capacity for accelerated reproductive technologies.

Responsibilities of the fellow:

1. Conduct a literature review on candidate genes for genome editing in tropical cattle.
2. The de novo establishment of African bovine pluripotent stem cell lines and differentiation potential of the PSC/iPSC.
3. Assess the gene editing potential of few targeted candidate genes from African bovine PSC/iPSCs.
4. Derive and establish stable embryonic PSC or iPSC lines of African indigenous cattle breeds with desirable traits.
5. Characterize derived cell lines against the donor tissues for their stability and biobanking.
6. Write scientific papers and conference presentations on the results from PhD studies.

Minimum requirements

1. Possess a Master of science in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), developmental biology or related disciplines. Preferred undergraduate degree of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).
2. Demonstrate good laboratory experience in animal stem cells derivation, andrology, and In vitro fertilization (IVF).
3. Proven publication track record in animal stem cells and ARTs.
4. Ability to work independently in an interdisciplinary research environment, and in                   multi- cultural, multi-national, multi-disciplinary teams.
5. Willingness to be based in Kenya full-time throughout the PhD programme with short research stays in priority research countries and at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK.
6. Experience in livestock fieldwork in developing countries
7. Experience in general laboratory techniques, including vector construction, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
8. Good writing skills in preparing reports and manuscripts.

Desirable attributes:

1. First-hand experience with pluripotent stem cell culture and gene targeting/editing   technologies.
2. Experience in flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS).
3. Knowledge, skill, and competence in applying molecular tools to analyze cellular phenotypes.
4. Being a registered veterinary practitioner is an added value.

Location: The position will be based in ILRI Kenya.

Duration: 3 years

Terms of appointment and stipend: ILRI will offer a competitive stipend to cover living expenses, medical insurance cover, and meet research expenses. The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by an ILRI scientist and the university/academic supervisor(s).

Applications should be sent to the Capacity Development Manager, ILRI, by clicking on the tab “APPLY NOW” on or before 02nd August 2024. The position title and reference number REF: GF/LG /02/2024 should be clearly marked on the subject line of the cover letter.

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

To find out more about ILRI visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org

Apply Now

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