CMRA Summer School 2021 for PhD students and postdocs from West Africa (Fully Funded)

Application Deadline: July 1st 2020

The Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) invite applications for an international summer school that will take place at the ICRISAT regional headquarter in Bamako, Mali.

Applications are invited from highly-motivated middle stage PhD students and postdocs from West Africa and Germany with a background in agricultural or environmental sciences and some prior modelling experience.

The summer school aims to enhance awareness of the state of the art in crop modelling for addressing climate risk and sustainable intensification among the region’s next generation of researchers and agricultural policy makers. It is designed to provide students with a broad overview of system’s analysis, best practices in model application climate change impact assessments, as well as emerging applications and challenges for crop modelling to support sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems. Students will be equipped with knowledge and skills to use crop models in the design and assessment of resilient and productive cropping systems.

Offered in French and English, the course will combine lectures with international experts, together with hands on tutorials, and group work and discussions. The maximum number of participants is 26.

Target Group

Current PhD students & postdocs with an academic background in crop physiology; agronomy; agricultural engineering; soil science; environmental science, or similar with experience working with smallholder farmers in semi-arid West Africa are encouraged to apply. Applicants should be West African or German nationals, or currently study in Germany and conduct research in West Africa. Preference will be given to candidates with experience using modelling tools, or in applying quantitative methods in regions with significant climatic risks for agriculture such as the Sahel and Sudan-Savanah regions.

Fees

Travel costs, visa fees (if required), food and accommodation will be covered for successful applicants.

The Summer School is financially supported by the VolkswagenStiftung

Date

The summer school will be held from February 21-28, 2021 (COVID-19 dependent back-up date: September 5–12, 2021)

Location

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Bamako, Mali

Organizers

The Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) is the organizer of the summer school. ZALF has long-term research experience on addressing issues related to water, energy, soil, and sustainable agriculture. In particular, it is well-known for its interdisciplinary group of scientists who employ theoretical as well as advanced methodological tools in analyzing agricultural landscapes.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is the hosting institution of the summer school. ICRISAT has significant expertise in cropping system analysis and communicating scientific results.

Application Procedure:

Interested PhD and post-doc researchers should send their application documents by e-mail (1 single pdf-file, max. 3 MB) to. Please include in your application:

• our curriculum vitae (2 pages max.);
• cover letter (1 page);
• brief statement explaining your motivation to participate and what you can contribute to CMRA2021’s transdisciplinary, problem-solving oriented group work (1 page);
• contact information of two references;
• scan of PhD degree or proof of enrollment in PhD studies.

Applications can be made in English or French. The application language will be used to place selected candidates in project and tutorial groups.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the CMRA Summer School 2020