Associate Animal Nutrition Officer (P2)
This is a U.S.-funded position at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.
Position ID: Position and Grade: NA202101-P2 Associate Animal Nutrition Officer (P2) Organizational Unit: Animal Production and Health Section Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture
Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications
Duty Station: Vienna, Austria
Type/Duration of Appointment: FT – JPO, 1 year with a possible extension of 1 additional year
The Associate Animal Nutrition Officer will be co-responsible, under the supervision and guidance of the Head of APH and the technical officer(s) responsible for the activities and projects in animal production, for a study aimed at developing a practical method to predict pasture intake of ruminants grazing heterogeneous pastures and rangeland using stable isotopes to provide tools for better grassland management that enhance animal productivity and reduces impact on environment due to overgrazing, and to allow the design of effective feed supplementation strategies at farm level to optimize animal production. The methods will include analysis of concentrations and stable carbon isotope composition of n-alkanes in the plant and faecal samples to predict dry matter (DM) intake and its plant proportions and development of the near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) predictive equations of DM intake and the plant profile of that intake. The equations are expected to facilitate the design of diets and supplements required to cover the nutritional needs of animals to optimise their productivity.
Role
As a member of the Animal Production and Health group the Associate Animal Nutrition Officer will be based at the Vienna International Centre and will maintain regular contact with the staff of APH. S/he will be based on an established work plan, technically assisting the team on the analysis of nalkanes in the plant and faecal samples and their compound specific stable carbon isotope composition for computing predictive equations to estimate dry matter (DM) intake and its plant compositions. Partnerships The Associate Animal Nutrition Officer will work under the partnerships already established within the UN system as well as with other international organisations and the scientific and commercial communities.