Are you a postdoc that would like to apply your knowledge and expertise for the development of an ‘e-nose’ for use on poultry farms within the project ‘OBserved? Do you have a strong affiliation with data analyses of the microbiome, metabolome and volatice organic compounds (VOC) in relation to animal health? Would you like working on innovations in data analyses and do you have an interest in farm animal health? Does working in a multidisciplinary team with other researchers from different universities and universities of applied sciences and societal organisations and industrial partners appeal to you? If the answer is yes please look at the position that we offer at Wageningen University & Research in close collaboration with Utrecht University within the OBSeRVeD (Odor-Based Selective Recognition of Veterinary Disease) project.
The Postdoc position
As postdoc in this project:
- You will closely collaborate with the PhD student to systematically analyse relevant data, which is gathered on farms and during animal (chicken) experiments.
- You will play an important role in the analyses of microbiome, metabolome and VOC data that will be obtained on farms and during experiments. By analysing the bio-informatics and other (diagnostic) animal/flock-related data in relation to the microbiome, metabolome and VOC analyses, performed by our partners in the project, novel biomarkers for veterinary diseases can be obtained.
- You will be an important facilitator for the cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication with other researchers, partners and stakeholders in the project.
Your qualities
We are looking for a postdoc with a PhD degree in a relevant field, with:
- relevant expertise in analyses of microbiome or metabolomedata, bio-informatics or other related fields who can combine these skills to analyse complex data
- ability to work closely in a multidisciplinary team and effectively organize own work and assist other (junior) researchers in achieving an efficient work flow
- ability to contribute to hypothesis generation, experimental design, and communicate research findings through reports, peer-reviewed publications and presentations
- willingness to act as a ‘hub’ to facilitate combined data collection and analyses of relevant animal-related and VOC-related data
- Excellent communication skills in spoken and written form in English.
In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position language level C1 is required. If you do not yet have this level, we will of course help you and you can go to our language center Wageningen in’ to Language
Don’t meet every single requirement? At WUR we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
We offer you
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
- sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
- working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
- the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
- there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
- a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
- excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 2.960,- and € 5.439- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10-11). We can offer a temporary position for a period of three years.
Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.
Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research’s International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the “30% rule”, certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 18th consecutive time.
Do you want more information?
For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Annemarie Rebel by e-mail annemarie.rebel@wur.nl
For more information about the procedure, please contact Ine van’t Land, Corporate recruiter by e-mail recruitment.asg@wur.nl
Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including 13 March 2023.
Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment
We are
Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!
Information about the ‘OBSeRVeD’ project
Within the NWO funded NWA-ORC project OBSeRVeD (Odor-Based Selective Recognition of Veterinary Disease), we aim to develop an innovative electronic nose that can recognize specific molecules or a combination of specific Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) for early detection of poultry disease. This will facilitate early, and more effective interventions, which will reduce the need for antibiotics and chemicals and will reduce the impacts on animal and public health and welfare.
In total, seven PhD students and 4 postdocs will be appointed at Utrecht University, Delft University of Technology, University of Twente, Radboud University, Saxion University of Applied Sciences and Wageningen University & Research. They will collaborate closely with each other and with our partners, including Fontys and The Hague University of Applied Sciences, and several companies specialized in sensor- or data platform technology, poultry feed or poultry veterinary service or farm hygiene industry.
Utrecht University (UU) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) collectively seek and will supervise a postdoc (appointed at WUR) to collaborate with each other, (industry) partners, and the other PhD students and postdocs appointed at the other knowledge institutes for the poultry scientific part of the OBSeRVeD project.
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.Apply now