Post Doctoral Fellow - Coastal Fisheries

WorldFish has recently established an office in Dili, Timor-Leste in collaboration with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. As a central component of this partnership an opportunity has arisen for an energetic, motivated doctoral graduate to contribute to a building program of research and capacity building. The government of Norway has funded a 2-year scoping project with a focus on improving nutrition security outcomes from the capture fisheries sector. The scoping stage of the project investigates resource status, production, marketing and management mechanisms to achieve this outcome, and will involve close collaboration with fishers and fishing communities.

The successful applicant will join a project working group to develop and implement a program of research and capacity building within the following broad areas:

• Improved information and capacity for sustainable resource management
• Improved sustainable small-scale fishing technologies
• Participatory pro-poor market chain scoping and development
• Formal and informal capacity development (government and communities)
• Marine fisheries strategy and policy development

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with government and NGO partners to oversee the implementation of the Fisheries Sector Support Program in Timor Leste
• In close cooperation with the project leader and project working group, design and implement discrete research activities within the program
• Conduct literature reviews and background studies to contextualize project research activities
• Lead and coordinate field activities for all components of the project
• Take primary responsibility for data collection, data quality, and analysis
• Work in close association with government staff in Timor-Leste to build research capacity within the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
• Lead the writing and publication of at least two primary publications from project activities (and contribute to others)
• Prepare regular reports for the Donor and partners
• With the project leader and key stakeholders, design activities for the continuation of the project beyond the 2-year scoping and piloting phase

REQUIREMENTS

• Ph.D. in fisheries management, fisheries ecology, natural resources management or closely related field
• Proven ability to design and implement novel research projects on diverse aspects of fishery systems
• Highly developed skills in planning and executing field research in the marine environment, including proven ability to command a small research vessel in exposed conditions
• Expertise in quantitative fisheries research
• Experience in synthesizing results from disparate studies and publishing research findings in the international primary literature
• Highly developed skills in using common statistics software (preferably R)
• Desire to work in a trans-disciplinary environment, and acquire new research skills
• Experience in leading field and research teams
• Commitment to work on research with a strong applied focus
• Language skills in Bahasa, Tetun or Portuguese would be an advantage, but as a minimum a willingness and commitment to learn Tetun
• Relevant working experience in developing countries and working in cross-cultural settings a distinct advantage
• Experience working in the policy environment

BENEFITS

This position will be based at WorldFish’s project office in Dili, Timor Leste. The initial employment contract will be for a two-year term, with continuing opportunities dependent on performance and project funding. We offer a competitive compensation in USD and benefits package commensurate with the job level. Both national and international candidates are encouraged to apply. For further information, please contact Dr David Mills atd.mills@cgiar.org