MSc Graduate Fellow - Genetic diversity forage spp collections (Four Positions)

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) MSc Graduate Fellowships

ILRI works to improve food and nutritional security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe and sustainable use of livestock. 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 Forage Genebank at ILRI holds a diverse collection of tropical and subtropical forage accessions and related information. The genebank conserves nearly 19,000 accessions from over 1,800 species. The collection is one of the most diverse collections of forage grasses, legumes and fodder trees held in any genebank in the world. In addition to the routine genebank operations, the genebank also conducts characterization at agronomic, nutritional and genomic levels and add value to the collection through generating information and making available the seeds of the accessions to diverse users. https://www.ilri.org/research/facilities/ilri-genebank.

The Positions

The fellows will work on the genetic diversity studies of forages (Vicia spp, Pisum spp, Cajanus spp, Glycine spp, etc) maintained in the ILRI Forage Genebank. The positions are based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The fellows will work with the multidisciplinary team of the genebank working on the conservation, distribution and characterization of forage genetic resources. The fellows will gain knowledge and practical skills on plant genetic diversity study and genetic data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Literature review on the genetic resource conservation and diversity assessment of forage crops.
• Analyse genotyping data and write summary of the analysis for presentation and manuscript.
• Report and MSc thesis writing, and
• Draft an article for journal publication and poster for presentation.

Position Requirements

• MSc student(s) who have finished course work and ready to start Thesis project.
• Possess a BSc Degree in Plant Science, Horticulture, Plant Genetics, Plant breeding, Plant Biotechnology, Biological Sciences, or the related field.
• Demonstrated experience working in molecular genetics, quantitative genetics or bioinformatics.
• Experience with R statistical software for genetic data analysis is advantage.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office packages.
• Experience contributing to writing reports and journal publications.
• Ability to work independently, multi-task and meet tight deadlines.
• Proficiency with written and spoken English.

Post Location

The positions will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Fellowship Duration

7 months.

Terms of Appointment and Benefits

ILRI will offer a monthly stipend to cover living expenses in the project location, medical insurance, and cover research expenses. The fellow will be co-supervised by academic and ILRI supervisor(s) and receive various capacity development opportunities at ILRI.

How to Apply

All applications MUST include the following (applications not containing these documents will not be considered):

• a cover letter addressed to the Senior Manager – Capacity Development ILRI, expressing interest in the fellowship position and the motivation. The position title and reference number (REF: ILRI MSc/GF/LGNFR/02/2026) should be clearly marked on the subject line of the cover letter.
• CV, including names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience.
• academic qualification certificates/transcripts.

Applications must be submitted by clicking on the “APPLY NOW” tab on or before 9 June 2026.