Research Technician - Sorghum Breeding

Center for International Forestry Research

Center for International Forestry Research

Kenya · Makueni County, Kenya

Posted on Jun 3, 2026

1 . Breeding operations support.

  • Support breeding activities by helping coordinate the movement of genetic material through successive breeding stages.
  • Assist with preparation, labeling, storage, and dispatch of materials for rapid-cycle advancement.
  • Maintain accurate records of breeding materials.
  • Support timely transfer of selected material between greenhouse, nursery, and breeding pipeline stages.

2. Cross and seed logistics.

  • Prepare and organize seed packets, crossing kits, envelopes, labels, and other materials required for breeding operations.
  • Assist with seed sorting, packaging, reconciliation, and dispatch for crossing and advancement activities.
  • Support tracking of parental lines, cross progenies, and advanced breeding materials to ensure identity and traceability.
  • Help maintain orderly seed stores and breeding operation supplies.

3. Support rapid early-generation cycling.

  • Assist in handling materials from rapid cycling crosses, including progenies from early-generation crosses and related advancement materials.
  • Ensure breeding materials are moved quickly and accurately between activities to minimize delays in the pipeline.
  • Support preparation of materials for recurrent crossing and advancement under the RCGS workflow.
  • Help maintain continuity of materials across breeding cycles and breeding generation transitions.

4. Coordination of trial kits.

  • Work with Trialing Research Associate in preparing trial kits, labels, materials, and documentation required for multi-location sparse testing.
  • Ensure that all items needed for field trials (seeds, plot QR code labels) are packed and dispatched correctly and on time.
  • Coordinate with field teams, breeders, and logistics staff to ensure smooth delivery of trial kits to partners.
  • Keep checklists and inventories for all kits and dispatched materials.

5. Data recording and documentation.

  • Record breeding operation details accurately, including dates of crossing, dispatch, and sparse testing location details such as trial planting harvesting and data return, and material movement.
  • Ensure all genetic materials and experiments are recorded in EBS.
  • Assist with basic data entry and file organization related to breeding operations.
  • Support documentation needed for quality assurance, traceability, and reporting.

6. Collaboration with scientists.

  • Work closely with the Plant Breeder and other scientists to implement operational aspects of RCGS.
  • Support the conversion of genomic selection decisions into practical breeding actions.
  • Coordinate with breeders to ensure selected materials are prepared and moved efficiently through the pipeline.
  • Provide operational feedback on bottlenecks, delays, losses, or material-handling issues.