Institute Overview 

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is a leading research organization in Africa with a strong track record in developing, testing and validating innovations for health. Driven by a core strategic mandate for research, training and services, the Institute’s work now spans a wide spectrum, covering biomedical and ecological sciences, intervention studies, health-systems research and policy translation. 

Position Summary 

Ifakara in collaboration with the Schürch Lab in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech-USA is seeking a highly motivated Tanzanian to take the position of Research Officer / Master Studentship to join the Unitaid funded BOHEMIA project. The focus of the student’s research will be to determine the impact on dung fauna of the use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin in cattle. The research supports the mission of One Health, the collaborative effort to attain health for people, animals, and our environment. This project specifically is related to evaluating the potential of mass drug administration of ivermectin to humans or simultaneously to humans and livestock as complimentary malaria vector control tools to tackle residual malaria transmission.

The student will be based in the United States in Blacksburg at the main Virginia Tech campus where they will be under the primary supervision of Dr. Roger Schürch, Department of Entomology. The field work portion will be completed in Tanzania in collaboration with Dr. Issa Lyimo who is the Country Principal Investigator of BOHEMIA in Tanzania. The successful applicant will earn a degree as a Master of Life and Food Sciences at the Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech on completion of the thesis and coursework.

Here are the details of the studentship:

• Fully funded M.S. studentship provided from Fall 2021 to Summer 2023
• Tuition and living stipend at Step 11 will be provided per month, (see Virginia Tech Graduate School.) Preferred start date Fall 2021.
• Video interviews will be conducted in late April with a decision in early May.
• The selected candidate will then be required to apply to VT Entomology Graduate Program, which has rolling admissions.
• The final acceptance will depend on acceptance into the graduate school.
• More information on admission criteria can be found on the Virginia Tech admission website and resources linked from there.

Qualification and Experience

• Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Entomology, or Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine or any related field with a minimum G.P.A of 3.0 (or equivalent).
• A course in organic chemistry is a prerequisite for enrollment in the Department of Entomology.
• Previous experience with identifying insects is highly desired for the project.

 Skills and Competencies

• As per admission criteria found on the Virginia Tech admission website
• The applicant must demonstrate excellent command of the English language (TOEFL or IELTS).
• Good scientific/investigational skills
• Presentation skills

Remuneration

An attractive home support will be offered to successful candidates as per IHI salary scales.

Equal Opportunity

IHI is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit intentional biases or discrimination and harassment of any kind at the work place and during recruitment. All employment decisions are based solely on job requirements and individual qualifications, and our recruitment process is governed by the labour laws of Tanzania.