Postdoctoral Researcher in Environment, Peace and Development (EPD)
Duration: 27 months
Place of work: Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano NIGERIA (you will be allowed to blend working from different locations: home, on the go and in the office)
Salary: ₦4,507,689.96 per annum
Application deadline: 10th June 2023
Position start date: 1st July 2023
Position summary: We are looking to hire Postdoctoral Researchers to support our team in developing and delivering meaningful prosperity and peace pathways that have a dynamic coherence between socioeconomic and environmental priorities, are locally valid and locally owned, and which can guide decision making and actions towards peace-centred development and socially-just futures in the Lake Chad region
The role is ideally suited for someone who is:
- Capable of using innovative social science data gathering approaches that are inclusive, participatory and deliberative, such as Young Citizens Panels, Consensus Conferences and Local Citizens Labs.
- Comfortable with desk-based work and skilled in extracting, filtering, querying and analysing large amounts of information from literature materials on conflict, fragility, prosperity, peace, complex emergency and the environment, and from other sources such as the news media, case studies, historic texts and encyclopaedias.
- Capable of working with project colleagues and collaborators to publish excellent academic papers and build upon ideas in published papers to foster knowledge transfer and impact through production of podcasts, policy briefs, opinion pieces, videos and pieces of artistic expression.
- Eager to explore new ways of knowledge exchange and evidence synthesis in an emerging area of conflict transformation for durable prosperity and peace.
- Looking to build networks across the scientific and practitioner communities in areas such as climate security, conflict prevention and transformation, peacebuilding, environmental stewardship and sustainable development.
The successful candidates will be highly ambitious and able to drive in-country project activities forward; and a hard worker, who is eager to learn and be trained, seeking out and considering the opinions of local citizens, with good judgement about when to use initiative and when to consult, and consistently performing at a high level.
Requirements:
- A PhD (or be very close to obtaining a PhD) in a social science discipline, e.g., public policy, conflict and peace studies, environment and human geography, climate and development studies, politics and citizens science, disaster risk management, terrorism and global security, social anthropology, international relations or a related discipline.
- Good knowledge/understanding of the political, security, development and environmental challenges that households and communities face across the Lake Chad region.
- Experience of using participatory, deliberative and inclusive research methods.
- Ability to write high-quality research papers demonstrated through evidence of published work in very good international/national peer-reviewed journals.
- Experience in organising, convening and facilitating workshops, stakeholder engagements and knowledge exchange activities involving a diverse range of actors including academic and non-academic participants.
- Strong interpersonal skills, including excellent social and networking skills.
- Ability to work with little or no supervision, and to plan and deliver project activities to agreed timelines.
- A keen eye for technical details with ability to evaluate the quality of evidence and “why” of data, considering a variety of interpretations and translating evidence into policy insights.
- Skill in presenting data and research findings in a compelling manner and across formats: academic papers, reports, infographics, maps.
- Excellent IT skills with knowledge of typical data analysis tools such as SPSS and NVivo, as well as knowledge of the Microsoft office productivity suite, including PowerPoint, Excel and Word.
How to apply
Applications should be made through email to u.t.okpara@greenwich.ac.uk (copying: jibrin@buk.edu.ng)
You will need to submit:
- A detailed CV
- A 2-page supporting statement/cover letter
- Copies of academic certificates
- One reference letter
- An example of a peer-reviewed article published in a reputable international journal
The supporting statement you submit should explain how you meet each of the job requirements using examples of your skills and experiences. This may include experiences gained in collaborative research, employment or education. Preference will be given to candidates able to clearly demonstrate why they believe they can uniquely contribute to identifying successful approaches to co-creating meaningful prosperity and peace pathways in fragile and conflict-affected regions.
As part of your application, you will need to provide one reference letter, and indicate whether the project director can contact your referee.
Please send the required application documents in one PDF file with your full name and the job title to the emails provided above. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria stated in this advert.
The deadline for applications is 10 June 2023 (11.59 pm Nigeria time). Interviews will be conducted with shortlisted candidates after the application deadline.
Information provided by applicants will be treated in the strictest confidence. Feedback will be provided as soon as feasible after applications have been received and assessed (only to shortlisted applicants).
Candidates who require additional information can email Professor Jibrin M. Jibrin (jibrin@buk.edu.ng) and Dr Uche Okpara (u.t.okpara@gre.ac.uk)
Pre-employment screening
Standard checks
If you are offered the post, the offer will be subject to certain checks. You will be asked to provide:
- Proof of your identity (e.g., an international passport or a National ID)
- Permanent home address
- Next of kin details
- A health declaration that tells us about any health conditions that might undermine your ability to work on this project as a full-time researcher.
The successful candidate will undergo a probationary period of six months prior to confirming the appointment.
Benefit to the successful candidate
We are interested in candidates that are keen about raising their research profile through collaborative publication of peer-reviewed articles, media appearances and public engagements. As training will be provided, it is expected that candidates will be supported to produce up to 4 published papers every year.
You will be employed by the Bayero University’s Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) in Kano which is one of Africa’s Centres of Excellence in Research and Innovation. In addition, you will benefit from personal/professional development training and mentorship from the project leader, Dr Uche Okpara (University of Greenwich), including support in publishing your research in peer-reviewed journal outlets and presentation at local and international conferences.
You will be supported to grow your professional network and benefit from advanced methods and grants writing training, and exposure to international collaborative research opportunities.
