CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.
For more information, visit: cimmyt.org
CIMMYT is looking for an outstanding, self-motivated, and result-oriented professional for the position of Maize Plant Health Scientist. This position will provide strategic leadership in plant health across CIMMYT’s Global Maize program, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and international priorities.
The location of this position will be CIMMYT Nairobi, Kenya.
Set Plant Health Vision for CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program (GMP)
- Define CIMMYT GMP’s long-term plant health strategy and regions.
- Align disease priorities with breeding pipelines, climate projections, and food security risks.
- Establish CIMMYT as the global authority on maize disease risk in low- and middle-income countries.
Lead AI-Enabled Disease Surveillance and Early Warning Systems
- Integrate field surveillance, genomics, remote sensing, and climate data into predictive disease models.
- Apply machine learning to forecast outbreaks, pathogen evolution, and resistance breakdown.
- Develop open dashboards and early warning tools accessible to national partners.
Lead the execution, and delivery of scientifically robust pathology trials for product advancement decisions.
- Optimize disease screening and assays for maize breeding for field application
- Design and execute pathology trials that are scientifically rigorous, reproducible, and aligned with breeding program goals.
- Generate high-quality disease resistance data that supports decision-making in breeding, product advancement, and regulatory submissions.
- Ensure compliance with relevant biosafety, ethical, and quality assurance standards.
Lead Genetic Disease Resistance and Pathogen Intelligence Integration
- Establish genetic disease resistance as the cornerstone of crop protection by guiding breeding strategies, prioritizing durable resistance approaches, and informing trait deployment to minimize pathogen adaptation.
- Integrate pathogen genomics and population biology to monitor and anticipate pathogen evolution.
- Translate pathogen intelligence into actionable breeding and deployment strategies that slow adaptation and extend product life cycles.
- Establish a comprehensive pathogen intelligence framework that integrates genomic characterization, surveillance of emerging variants, and translation of insights into breeding and trait deployment strategies, ensuring durable crop resistance and proactive disease management.
Lead Seed Health, Disease-Free Production, and Phytosanitary Compliance.
- Establish and oversee comprehensive seed health testing protocols to detect and prevent seed-borne pathogens.
- Ensure disease-free seed production systems through strict monitoring, sanitation, and certification processes.
- Implement and maintain phytosanitary procedures aligned with national and international regulatory frameworks.
- Facilitate safe seed movement across borders by ensuring compliance with international standards (e.g., ISTA, IPPC).
- Provide technical guidance to breeding and production teams to integrate seed health into product advancement pipelines.
Embed Epidemiology and Agronomy into Disease Risk Models.
- Develop an integrated, multi-dimensional maize disease risk data platform that consolidates epidemiological, agronomic, and environmental datasets to enable robust modeling of pathogen dynamics and inform breeding, management, and deployment strategies.
- Develop standardized data formats to ensure compatibility across epidemiology and agronomy inputs.
- Model disease dynamics across cropping systems, landscapes, and management practices.
- Integrate agronomic and farmer behavior data into disease risk assessments.
- Design disease management strategies suitable for low-input systems.
Partnerships, Representation and Resource Mobilization
- Build and lead global plant health partnerships by coordinating with NARS, CGIAR centers, universities, and international agencies to align strategies and resources for transboundary and emerging disease response.
- Strengthen national and institutional capacity through mentoring scientists, developing training programs, sharing protocols, and ensuring sustainability of plant health systems via institutional strengthening and knowledge transfer.
- Publish in top-tier journals on pathogen biology, disease forecasting, and resistance durability.
- Develop and deliver donor proposals and investment cases that translate complex plant health risks into compelling, data driven narratives focused on disease surveillance and resistance.
- Engage and partner with donors to strengthen proactive global disease risk management and ensure sustained support for resilient plant health systems.
- Represent CIMMYT at global forums and advise governments and international bodies on biosecurity, climate risk, food systems, and disease preparedness and response.
- Strengthening CIMMYT’s visibility and credibility as a trusted, neutral authority in global plant health and food security.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in plant pathology or any other closely related crop protection field from an internationally recognized university.
- Minimum +5 years Post-Ph.D experience.
- A publication record in high-impact Journals related to Plant Pathology.
- Working experience in disease screening under natural and artificial inoculations for key maize diseases is a great advantage.
- Good knowledge of international seed exchange and phytosanitary guidelines.
- Working knowledge of data analysis software like R, SAS, and Genstat preferred.
- Good reporting and communication skills in English (working language).
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to manage complex collaborator relations, including experienced breeders, social scientists, and crop protection experts.
- Track record of flexibility, adaptability, well organized and working under pressure with tight deadlines.
- Willing to travel widely in East and Southern Africa.
- Able to excel in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment and possess skills to manage support staff.
- The selected candidate should exhibit the following competencies: Problem Solving and Decision Making, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Teamwork, and Communication.
Benefits
The position is for an initial fixed term for three (3) years, with one year of probatory period, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT’s internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, car, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual home travel airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment.
Candidates must apply online here. Applications must include a CV with contact details (telephone and email address) of 3 work-related references along with the confirmation that Recruitment can contact them) and a cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Internal applications could be considered in line with internal eligibility guidance, please contact HR for more information.
This position will remain open until filled.
CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.
