Head - Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry

Position Specifications:

- Doctorate degree in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry / Chemistry from a university / research institute of repute, preferably from Calcutta University or Delhi University.

- 10 to 15 years of experience in conducting research (pref with IARI) on soil science and agricultural chemistry including soil mapping, soil test crop requirement (STCR) and other models linking soil status, nutrition chemistry and crop nutrition requirements.

- Experience as HoD will be considered as additional advantage.

- This position will report to Head of Plant Nutrition Services. Number of reportees to this role will be around 2-3 scientists.

Requirement:

- Candidates should have a deep understanding of basic and soil chemistry, analytical chemistry and techniques for nutrient testing and application of analytical results through response models like STCR to determine and develop customized nutrition requirements in crops for specific areas and institutions as per business requirements.

KRAs:

- Candidate would be required to drive the development of new nutrient solutions/ products and work closely with the agronomy team on evaluation work for development of customized crop nutrition solutions.

This would involve:

- Identify latest developments in the area of soil science, agricultural chemistry and crop nutrition, coupling this to the nutrition requirements of crops and regions of interest to the organization and building development protocols and methods.

- Build and maintain close formal / informal relationships with reputed institutions in India and abroad in the field of soil science as well as analytical chemistry to improve knowledge, as well as get the product development / nutrient testing done in the shortest and most economical manner possible.

- Travel and meet farmers and other stakeholders in the market to gather information on soil conditions and crop practices, identify gaps with regard to nutrient requirements and align it to the knowledge available

- Work with the other members in PNS team towards developing new products/ solutions.

Key Outcomes:

- Develop the knowledge base of soil chemistry, nutrient interactions within soil and between plant and soil.

- Develop the usage of Crop soil models for accurate estimation of nutrient requirements crops across varied soil conditions.

- Development of new crop nutrition products and solutions using the crop soil nutrient models including the forms and formulations of nutrients in the new products and solutions.