ILRI PhD Graduate Fellowship: Cost Effectiveness of Interventions aimed at Reducing Antibiotic Use in Semi-Intensive Poultry Farms

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a PhD graduate fellow to work on cost effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing antibiotic use in semi-intensive poultry farms. The successful fellow will be hosted under the CGIAR Antimicrobial Resistance Hub, led by ILRI.

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 centers dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices in East, South and Southern Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org

The CGIAR Antimicrobial Resistance Hub, applies a One Health approach to support efforts in low- and middle-income countries to mitigate agriculture-associated antimicrobial resistance risks. The Hub supports the development of evidence-based interventions that are locally relevant and applicable. Research on how to best implement and scale workable solutions is embedded in capacity development activities and supported through advocacy for enabling policies. The hub contributes to ILRI’s Animal and Human Health program and leads the antimicrobial resistance component of the One Health Research, Education and Outreach Centre for Africa https://www.ilri.org/research/facilities/amr-hub.

About the position

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens global health, economic and food security with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) being disproportionately affected. Antimicrobial misuse and overuse is the major driver of emergence and selection of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Poultry production in Kenya is common and increasing in intensity. This intensification favors the increased use of antimicrobials for growth promotion, prophylaxis and treatment.

Global, regional and national AMR plans have been developed and highlight numerous action areas to reduce AMR and preserve the efficacy of existing drugs and revolve around optimized or prudent use and prevent transmission. However, particularly in LMICs there is little to no information on the cost and/or effectiveness of the intervention to reduce antimicrobial use and the burden of AMR on farms. This PhD aims to address various knowledge gaps by 1) evaluating on-farm poultry production practices to determine behaviours that drive antimicrobial use (AMU) and how these contribute to the selection of AMR; and 2) design and test interventions to reduce AMU; and 3) analyse the costs and benefits of the tested interventions. To answer the various research questions, the candidate will utilise field epidemiology, statistical and economic modelling techniques.

Responsibilities of the fellow:

• Map the socio-economic context of antimicrobial use among semi-intensive poultry farmers in Kenya.
• Design and implement an on-farm trial to investigate the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing antimicrobial use in study farms.
• Quantify and model antimicrobial use and drivers of use in the study farms.
• Model the economic impacts of tested interventions on farmers’ profits and greater societal benefits.
• Write scientific papers and conference presentations on the results from the PhD studies.
• Communicate findings to relevant stakeholders (government, extension officers, farmers, etc.).
• Provide supervision and guidance to field support staff and research assistants.

Minimum requirements for the ideal candidate:

• MSc in Agricultural Economics, Veterinary Science, Animal Science, or Veterinary Public Health.
• Previous research experience in field intervention trials, economic evaluations, and/or qualitative research methodologies is desirable.
• An understanding of antimicrobial resistance, veterinary systems, gender science and the sustainable development goals is advantageous.
• Experience in handling diverse datasets, data processing and statistical software such as R, SPSS, Stata, Matlab or Python.
• Ability to jointly work in a multi-national, multi-disciplinary team of scientists and technicians.
• Ability to supervise and guide research assistants and junior graduate students e.g., Bachelor or Masters level.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Based in Kenya full-time throughout the PhD programme with short research stays at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Location: ILRI – Kenya, with frequent in-country field travel and some travel abroad for fulfilment of PhD requirements at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Duration: 3 Years

Terms of appointment and stipend: ILRI will offer a competitive stipend to cover living expenses, medical insurance cover, tuition costs air ticket, and meet research expenses. The successful candidate will be supervised jointly by an ILRI scientist and the university/academic supervisor at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

How to apply:

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

• A cover letter addressed to the Head of Capacity Development, ILRI expressing their interest in the fellowship position and what they can bring to the fellowship. The position title and reference number REF: GF/ILRI/AHH-AMR HUB/02/2022 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.
• Copies of academic qualification certificates/transcripts.

Applications must be submitted by on or before 5 May 2022.

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

To find out more about the ILRI fellowship and application visit the official website at; https://www.ilri.org/jobs