Senior Scientist – Soil Management

To lead the development and implementation of innovative soil management strategies that enhance the productivity, resilience, and sustainability of salt-affected and arid lands. The role integrates advanced approaches to support ICBA’s mission in biosaline agriculture, focusing on soil health, land suitability, and sustainable crop-soil-water interactions. The Senior Scientist will generate impactful research, develop strategic partnerships, and build regional capacity to address soil-related challenges in arid and saline environments.

• Secure external funding through proposal development and strategic donor engagement and national priorities, ensuring alignment with ICBA’s research priorities and regional impact goals.
• Evaluate land suitability for agricultural production and identify soil degradation risks associated with salinization, groundwater depletion, land-use change, and climate variability, in collaboration with water and crop scientists.
• Lead the development of innovative soil management systems tailored to saline and degraded environments, enhancing soil fertility and soil health to support sustainable biosaline agriculture.
• Design and implement soil amendment, restoration solutions, and Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) to improve physical, chemical, and biological soil properties under saline and arid conditions.
• Conduct and oversee soil classification and mapping using advanced techniques, supporting land evaluation and soil suitability analyses for climate-resilient, salt-tolerant crops, and halophytes.
• Assess and optimize soil-water-plant interactions, with emphasis on nutrient cycling, salinity dynamics, and water-use efficiency in salt-affected and arid soils.
• Utilize GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis tools for soil and land use mapping, contributing to regional land degradation assessments and climate-resilient land use planning.
• Develop and manage interdisciplinary R&D projects aligned with ICBA’s strategic focus areas, including soil reclamation, biosaline agriculture, and climate-smart land management.
• Disseminate research outcomes through high-impact scientific publications and technical reports, contributing to global knowledge on sustainable soil use in saline and arid environments.
• Build and sustain partnerships with national, regional, and international research institutions, fostering knowledge exchange and collaborative innovation in soil and land resource management.
• Design and deliver capacity development initiatives, including training, workshops, and field-based demonstrations for scientists, extension agents, and decision-makers in soil health and biosaline agriculture.
• Mentor researchers, technicians, and field teams, ensuring the application of rigorous field protocols and laboratory procedures in soil science.
• Manage the soil and water laboratory at ICBA to comply with international accreditation.

Essential

• PhD in soil sciences, soil health, and soil fertility management, or related fields.
• At least 10 years of post-PhD experience in soil management research; preferably with regional or international research experience.
• Sound knowledge of methods and approaches for spatial analysis and assessment, as well as associated tools (GIS, remote sensing, statistics).
• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience working in Soil Laboratory Analysis.
• Proven success in obtaining research grant funding from international donors and effective project management.
• Proven capacity to manage multidisciplinary and international research teams and projects.
• Effective communication skills, with an emphasis on presenting and disseminating research information.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of Arabic and/or French is (Desirable).