MSc Graduate Fellow – Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit an MSc graduate fellow to undertake research on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from carcasses in slaughterhouses in western Kenya. The fellow will be hosted by the Animal and Human Health (AHH) program at ILRI.

ILRI works with partners worldwide to enhance the roles that livestock play in food security and poverty alleviation, principally in Africa and Asia. The outcomes of these research partnerships help people in developing countries keep their farm animals alive and productive, increase and sustain their livestock and farm productivity, find profitable markets for their animal products, and reduce the risk of livestock-related diseases. www.ilri.org

The AHH program seeks to effectively manage or eliminate livestock, zoonotic and food-borne diseases that matter to the poor through the generation and use of knowledge, technologies and products, leading to higher farmer incomes and better health and nutrition for consumers and livestock. https://www.ilri.org/research/programs/animal-and-human-health .

About the position

The overall health and economic burden arising from meat contamination are likely to be substantial. The lack of adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities in slaughterhouses in developing countries is an important impediment to the practice of international hygiene standards. In Kenya, poor working conditions, including hygiene and sanitation facilities at slaughterhouses have been shown to lead to contamination of meat and transmission of pathogens. Inadequate infrastructure, resource constraints among regulatory bodies, and low levels of awareness among those who produce, trade and process animals about the adverse occupational and public health risks associated with meat contamination compound this problem. Improving hygiene practices at slaughterhouses is crucial to reduce contamination of meat in food system, mainly because large number of animals ultimately pass through them.

Through this research project will identify the pathotypes and antimicrobial resistance of pathogens contaminating carcasses at slaughter and the public health risks associated with these pathogens.

Key responsibilities:

The MSc fellow to be recruited will be responsible for:

• Microbiological analysis of samples to identify bacteria and molecular methods to identify pathotypes.
• Use different methods to determine antimicrobial resistance including disc diffusion and molecular methods.
• Develop an MSc research proposal in line with the admission requirements of the admitting university.
• Analyze the obtained results and prepare a thesis and at least one journal publication.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate should:

• Have registered in a recognized university and is currently pursuing masters of science in biological sciences, microbiology or related field.
• Have completed their course work and is ready to begin the research component of their study.
• Possess working knowledge of MS Office applications.
• Experience in laboratory methods – microbiology (culture, disk diffusions) and PCR.
• Demonstrate good understanding of data handling techniques, analysis, especially involving use of statistical packages such as STATA, R or Python.
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Location: ILRI Nairobi, Kenya.

Duration: 3 months

Terms of appointment and benefits: ILRI will offer a monthly stipend to cover living expenses in the project location, medical insurance, and cover research expenses. The fellow will be co-supervised by academic and ILRI supervisor and receive various capacity development opportunities at ILRI.