Scientist

Contract

This is a P-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 1 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 44,593 USD and 61,628 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

PURPOSE OF POSITION

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO). The objective of IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.

Branch objective: The goal of the Nutrition and Metabolism Branch (NME) is to provide robust scientific evidence on the role of nutrition, obesity, and metabolic dysfunction in cancer development that can translate to both clinical and population-level interventions and to public health policy. NME aims to go beyond what may be considered the traditional domains of nutrition in cancer research and fully exploit methodological advances in molecular techniques to implement an integrated, multidisciplinary programme of research. Given the potential for advances in molecular profiling to help overcome methodological challenges in nutrition research and delineate the underlying biological pathways, emphasis is placed on conducting molecular epidemiological research that integrates metabolomics, hormone measurements, the microbiome, and genomics, within population-based cohorts and intervention studies.

Team objective: The Onco-Metabolomics Team (OMB) is a multidisciplinary team that fosters close collaboration between analytical chemists, epidemiologists, bioinformaticians, and statisticians to conceptualize and implement metabolic–nutrition–cancer epidemiology studies. OMB studies metabolic perturbations, nutritional and dietary factors, and the exposome in cancer development by implementing modern liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based analytical techniques to measure and identify metabolites in various biospecimens and to study metabolite variations associated with cancer outcomes.

The purpose of the position is to provide expertise and support to the OMB Team by developing and applying LC-MS based metabolomics methods for the analysis of human biospecimens, as well as by processing, analyzing, and interpreting the generated data.

The incumbent is a scientist within the OMB Team, which is led by two senior scientists. The team also includes research assistants and varying numbers of Early Career and Visiting Scientists (ECVS).

The incumbent is responsible for the day-to-day management, conduct, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of data from metabolomics studies. He/she assists the supervisor in the planning and execution of metabolomics-driven projects, management of the laboratory, as well as in the development of new laboratory methodologies. The incumbent also contributes to planning of new studies and writing of papers and grant applications.

Contacts inside the Organization include all staff within the Team and the Branch as well as staff across the Agency to exchange information on matters relating to scientific activities.

Contacts outside the Organization include numerous scientific collaborators in international projects, to manage logistics of samples, reporting of results, preparation of manuscripts, and other exchanges related to day-to-day management of collaborative projects.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

1. Acquire, process, and analyse metabolomics data.

2. Contribute to the management of ongoing metabolomics studies.

3. Contribute to the management of the mass spectrometry platform.

4. Collaborate on the planning, design and conduct of new metabolomics studies.

5. Assist in developing new metabolomics methods.

6. Prepare scientific manuscripts and reports.

7. Communicate studies and results in scientific settings i.e. project meetings, seminars and conferences.

8. Supervise OMB ECVS members.

9. Participate in writing grant applications.

WHO COMPETENCIES

· Producing results

· Moving forward in a changing environment

· Teamwork*

· Communication*

· Respecting & promoting individual and cultural differences*

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Essential: PhD in chemistry, pharmacy or related field.

Desirable: Postgraduate training in metabolomics applied to clinical or epidemiological studies.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Essential: At least one year of experience in the application of high-resolution LC-MS for the analysis of human biospecimens, including preprocessing of the raw data, compound identification, and reporting of the results, including publishing in peer-reviewed journals

Desirable: Experience in cancer clinical or epidemiological research; first-author publication(s) in relevant research area; experience in grant writing; experience in working in international teams outside of the place of graduation.

USE OF LANGUAGE SKILLS

Expert knowledge of English is essential, working knowledge of French or another UN language is an asset.

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential:

· Very good knowledge of methods and workflows for untargeted LC-MS metabolomics and related data preprocessing and compound identification.

· Very good knowledge of metabolomics data analysis software tools applicable to untargeted LC-MS metabolomics.

· Proven ability to identify small-molecule metabolites using high-resolution LC-MS.

· Ability to write analysis reports and scientific papers.

· Understanding of laboratory quality.

· Excellent organization and time-management skills.

· Ability to collaborate effectively as a member of international teams.

Desirable: Good working knowledge of LC-MS metabolomics data analysis tools from Agilent Technologies or Thermo Scientific.

OTHER SKILLS ( IT SKILLS)

• Agilent LC-MS software suite for metabolomics: MassHunter Qual, Profinder, MPP.

• Thermo LC-MS software suite for metabolomics: TraceFinder, Compound Discoverer.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 39,401 (subject to applicable deductions), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 1,690 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

· This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level or lower.

· Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

· A written test and/or presentation/seminar may be used as a form of screening.

· If your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. IARC/WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

· According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

· Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules, and Manual noting that first year of fixed term contracts is a probationary period which maybe extended subject to performance evaluation.

· For information on IARC’s operations please visit: https://www.iarc.who.int, and for more general information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

· IARC/WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The IARC/WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

· IARC/WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Participating States https://www.iarc.who.int/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-at-iarc are strongly encouraged to apply for IARC/WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int.

· An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. IARC/WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the IARC/WHO Values Charter https://www.iarc.who.int/about-iarc-who-ethics into practice.

· IARC/WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the IARC/WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to IARC/WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment, and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, IARC/WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

· IARC/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

· IARC/WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to fully express and develop their talents.

· The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

· Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

· Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with IARC/WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with IARC/WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.