Consultant in Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition

Job Posting Organization:
The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which implements Major Programme 2, focusing on 'Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection'. Established to enhance the capacity of Member States, the IAEA operates in various fields including food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment, and radiation technologies. The organization has laboratories located in Seibersdorf, Monaco, and Vienna, and aims to support sustainable development through the application of nuclear and isotopic techniques. The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture collaborates with Member States to improve security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security and promote sustainable agriculture through the use of nuclear techniques. The Centre consists of five sections, each associated with a laboratory, focusing on areas such as animal production, plant breeding, pest control, soil and water management, and food safety.

Job Overview:
The consultancy position at the Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory is focused on developing a preliminary protocol for studying the behavior of antimicrobials in aquaculture pond sediments and assessing their safe use in agriculture. This role supports the PUI project 'Integrated Strategies for Managing Antimicrobial Resistance in Western and Central African Aquaculture', which addresses significant challenges such as antimicrobial persistence in sediments, environmental risks, and implications for food safety when sediments are reused as fertilizers. The consultancy aims to integrate isotopic tracing with microbiological and molecular methods to study antibiotic degradation and microbial changes under controlled conditions, ultimately providing evidence-based guidelines for the safe agricultural reuse of aquaculture sediments.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will be responsible for conducting three microcosm experiments with sediments incubated with sulfonamides, including fully carbon-13 labelled sulfamethoxazole (SMX), using Laser Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) and SMX extraction to evaluate the rate of SMX degradation. Additionally, the consultant will incubate sediment microbial communities under controlled environmental conditions (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen) to monitor microbial growth during the transition from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. The consultant will also perform 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing and SIP-PLFA analyses to compare the dominant species in aerobic versus anaerobic environments, contributing to the overall understanding of microbial dynamics in relation to antimicrobial resistance.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a university degree (bachelor) in Soil Science or a related field. A minimum of two years' experience in stable isotope approaches and specialized soil microbiological techniques is required. The consultant should have experience in soil microbiological techniques and analysis, including microbial inoculation and culture methods, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) testing, DNA isolation, next-generation sequencing, and taxonomic profiling. Familiarity with stable carbon isotope techniques to assess the fate of AMR in agricultural soils, including incubation experiments using Laser Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) analysis, is essential. Good knowledge of oral and written English is mandatory, while knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset.

Educational Background:
The position requires a university degree (bachelor) in Soil Science or a closely related field. This educational background is crucial for understanding the complexities of soil management and the application of nuclear techniques in agricultural practices.

Experience:
The ideal candidate should have at least two years of relevant experience, particularly in stable isotope approaches and specialized soil microbiological techniques. This experience should encompass a range of soil microbiological techniques and analysis, including but not limited to microbial inoculation, culture methods, antimicrobial resistance testing, and advanced molecular techniques such as DNA isolation and next-generation sequencing.

Languages:
Proficiency in English, both oral and written, is mandatory for this position. Knowledge of additional official IAEA languages such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish is advantageous and may enhance the candidate's suitability for the role.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy offers a daily fee of up to a maximum of €170, depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate. If duty travel is required as part of the assignment, a daily subsistence allowance (DSA) and travel costs will be provided. It is important to note that health coverage and pension fund responsibilities lie with the incumbent.