Director, Aquatic Food Biosciences

The Aquatic Foods Biosciences team leads WorldFish’s mission to transform aquaculture by accelerating genetic gains in aquatic species, feed, health and farming systems and ensuring their sustainable delivery into global food systems. The team drives innovation to increase production efficiency, resilience, and impact through:

• Developing and maintaining improved strains of key aquatic species and pioneering technologies for their advancement.
• Ensuring the delivery of improved strains into production systems to support sustainable growth.
• Creating cutting-edge genetic tools to monitor and analyse aquatic resources, including the interaction between wild and domesticated populations.
• Advancing fish nutrition and health solutions that maximize the performance of improved strains for end-users in priority farming systems.

The unit is building a globally competitive research powerhouse in genetic technologies for aquaculture—starting with tilapia and carp species—while cultivating strong industry partnerships to accelerate adoption and impact.

As Director, Aquatic Food Biosciences, you will shape the future of aquatic food production by:

• Integrating diverse areas of expertise to deliver breakthrough solutions in genetic improvement, species domestication, feeds, and fish health.
• Defining and leading priority research and innovation agendas with global relevance.
• Forging strategic partnerships with leading public and private stakeholders to expand the reach and adoption of genetic innovations.
• Driving the delivery of science into practice, ensuring improved species and technologies reach farmers and markets in emerging economies.

This is an exciting opportunity for a visionary leader to build a world-class program, create transformative impact in aquaculture, and contribute to global food and nutrition security.

Key Responsibilities

As the Director, Aquatic Foods Biosciences, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of aquatic food systems through cutting-edge science, innovation, and leadership. In this role, you will:

• Lead global impact research – Champion the identification, improvement, and conservation of aquatic food genetic diversity, ensuring innovative research is translated into scalable solutions for sustainable food systems.
• Set strategic priorities – Align research agendas with CGIAR’s strategy on sustainable aquatic foods, ensuring science delivers meaningful impact for healthy people and a thriving planet.
• Provide thought leadership – Drive ambitious and pioneering research directions, ensuring insights, learning, and evidence are shared widely to catalyze knowledge transfer, policy influence, and capacity building.
• Inspire and empower teams – Guide and develop a high-performing biosciences team, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Shape Global Collaborations – Build and nurture partnerships with research institutions, governments, and businesses to keep our science relevant, impactful, and at the forefront of global aquatic foods research.
• Position WorldFish as a thought leader – Strengthen and expand networks to distinguish our research and enhance our reputation as an international leader in sustainable aquatic food biosciences.
• Advance scientific excellence – Design collaborative frameworks that produce high-quality, interdisciplinary publications, technologies, and innovations that shape the future of aquatic food systems.
• Raise the scientific bar – Establish rigorous standards for impactful research outputs, ensuring findings inform policy, practice, and global food system transformation.
• Drive accountability and results – Develop performance metrics aligned with stakeholder priorities, ensuring communities benefit directly from research breakthroughs.
• Foster innovation in practice – Introduce new processes to ensure timely, efficient, and impactful delivery of research outcomes.
• Significant fundraising expectations – Experience collaborating with international experts, governments, donors and research institutions to expand strategic alliances and funding opportunities, with proven results in the mobilization of significant funds. Up to date on global fundraising trends and international donor landscapes.

Requirements

This role could be the right fit for you if you bring a strong blend of scientific expertise, leadership, and passion for advancing aquatic foods biosciences. Ideally, you will have:

• A PhD (preferred) or advanced degree in aquatic bioscience, marine ecology, fisheries, aquaculture, or a related field.
• Specialized expertise in technology-driven disciplines such as genetics, nutrition, or animal health.
• Extensive experience in aquatic bioscience research, technology development, and genetic improvement.
• A proven track record of leading multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams in research and development programs.
• Recognition as a thought leader in aquatic foods biosciences, with the ability to translate research into impactful innovations.
• Strong international experience in regions where aquatic foods research initiatives are implemented.
• Exceptional leadership skills to inspire, integrate, and grow diverse, multicultural teams—promoting inclusivity, knowledge sharing, and professional development.
• The ability to communicate a clear and compelling vision to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across all levels in a global, multicultural, and multidisciplinary setting.
• A demonstrated capacity to drive organizational change and contribute to building a dynamic, integrated CGIAR culture.
• The highest ethical standards, integrity, and a reputation for treating others with respect.
• Proven fundraising abilities and a track record of building strategic partnerships.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken).

This is an International Recruited Staff (IRS) position and salary will be commensurate with the position level. WorldFish's IRS shall receive comprehensive health insurance, life insurance, accident, and long-term disability insurance. Internationally recruited staff employed outside of their home base/country of nationality will also be eligible to receive relocation assistance, a housing allowance, home-leave plane tickets for self and eligible dependents and education assistance for school-age dependents between age 4 and high school graduation. The duration of the contract will initially be for a three-year period with possibility for extension, depending on funding and performance. All benefits are subject to terms and conditions.

• Fluency in English (written and spoken).