Research Associate – Digital Agriculture at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Job Description

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Research Associate to support ongoing activities in Nairobi, providing technical and analytical support for climate data processing, agricultural analytics, and the development of decision-support tools, particularly within Kenya-focused activities.

ILRI is an international organisation working for better lives and better planet through livestock. ILRI’s mission emphasises the interconnections between people, animals, and the environment, aiming to improve the lives of more than 300 million people in low- and middle-income countries through livestock science that supports equitable and resilient livestock systems, ultimately contributing to food systems transformation with climate and environmental benefits. This mission is delivered through two core strategic objectives: co-designing and deploying sustainable, science-based livestock solutions, and leveraging science to inform and influence policy and investment decisions.

ILRI is a member of the CGIAR, a global research alliance that works to transform food, land and water systems in a climate crisis and is the only CGIAR centre dedicated to addressing multiple development challenges through sustainable livestock solutions.

Responsibilities

The Research Assistant will:

• Support data ingestion, cleaning, and management of weather, soil, and agricultural datasets.
• Assist in analysis of climate data (e.g., rainfall, temperature, forecasts).
• Contribute to development and maintenance of platforms such as AgDataHub.
• Assist in benchmarking and validation of forecast products.
• Develop scripts and workflows (Python) for data processing and analysis.
•  Liaise with national partners (e.g., meteorological agencies, research institutions).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of two years relevant experience in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, AI/ML, Data Science, or a closely related field.
• Proficiency in Python.
• Proficiency with Git/GitHub for version control and collaborative development.

• Experience with Linux/Unix environments and command-line tools.
• Experience applying deep learning (CNNs or similar) to geospatial or remote sensing data.
• Familiarity with cloud computing environments (AWS) and distributed data systems (Apache Druid).
• Strong analytical and written communication skills in English.
• Knowledge of French  will be an added advantage

Post location: The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya