Job Description

The successful candidate will work as Research Assistant in the Abu Dhabi International Virtual Research Institute for Food Security in the Drylands. This institute features a comprehensive and highly interdisciplinary R&D program and provides an international collaboration platform for researchers and stakeholders of the public and private food and agricultural sector. The virtual research institute strives to generate knowledge and technological innovation in support of food security in the UAE and other arid environments of the world.

As part of one of its research themes, the institute is aiming at exploring the systematic integration of food production into urban living environments through the development of stakeholder-conscious/occupant-sensitive innovative and sustainable solutions. The successful candidate is expected to work independently and as part of an international and interdisciplinary team. The ability to work on an integrated building/food production system, or greenhouse experiments is vital. Experience with the handling of soilless production systems, as well as fruit and vegetable cultivation are of great advantage.

We are seeking a qualified research assistant with the capacity to work on a \xe2\x80\x9cBuilding Integrated Agriculture\xe2\x80\x9d research project. The required expertise of the candidate will include architecture, building aesthetics, sustainability, stakeholder engagement, integration of innovative technologies in buildings and urban farming solutions, in and on buildings which may integrate with building systems.
Additionally, we appreciate the interest in horticultural production technologies, such as environmental control, lighting systems, and automation.
A proven ability to prepare manuscripts for publication in impacted international research journals is required.
Key tasks include critical literature review, Building environmental assessment, product design and prototyping, construction, and experimental testing.
The working place is the campus of the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, including its experimental stations.

The position is for a period of 9 months, with the possibility of extension on an annual basis

Minimum Qualification
Ph.D. degree in horticultural, agricultural, architectural, or environmental engineering with research/working experience in the field of the study.

Preferred Qualification
Experienced in research design, social experimentation, qualitative research design, and stakeholder engagement. Capacity for teamwork, collaborative mindset, and critical analysis.

Excellent writing skills and publications track record