Full Professor and Chair Bioprocess Engineering

Due to the upcoming retirement of the current chair holder, a vacancy has arisen for a Full Professor in the Bioprocess Engineering chair group, part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The group has an outstanding international reputation in research and education in the field of bioprocess engineering.

The mission of the Bioprocess Engineering group is to understand, harness, and expand nature’s potential for biomanufacturing while educating and training future generations of bioprocess scientists and engineers, and lay the basis for value creation. This translates into research on developing innovative and scalable bio-based processes to produce biopharmaceuticals, healthy food ingredients, materials, chemicals, and biofuels. The group strives to understand, explore, exploit, and enhance cells, processes, and technologies for more efficient and sustainable bioproduction of high-quality bio-based products in a sustainable and cost-effective way, preventing the depletion of natural resources. This is achieved by utilizing biocatalysts such as bacteria, algae, yeasts, fungi, animal cells, and enzymes, and building upon a strong combination of core process engineering, (synthetic) biology and computational expertise. The group is responsible for a large part of the courses in the biotechnology curriculum (7 BSc and 9 MSc courses) and supports about 15 BSc theses, 60 MSc theses and 45 internships yearly.

The position of chair of the Bioprocess Engineering group offers you the opportunity to shape and expand your own research lines in synergy with the group’s scientific focus, while also developing your academic leadership profile. In this role, you will share responsibility for the academic and operational management of the group. In this role, you are responsible for both the academic and operational management of the group. Your responsibilities will include setting up the research strategy together with your team, guiding a diverse team of scientists, lecturers, and support staff, and further strengthening the group’s national and international standing. In addition, you will contribute to high-quality education at the BSc, MSc, and PhD levels and help drive innovation in teaching, supporting WUR’s strong reputation in higher education.

The Bioprocess Engineering group consists of the chair group and the pilot facility AlgaePARC. The chair group harbours 1 Chair Holder and Full Professor, 3 Personal Professors, 3 Associate Professors and one special part time associate professor, 6 Assistant Professors, 3 lecturers, 4 Postdoctoral Researchers, and approximately 60 PhD candidates. The group is supported by a shared team of professionals including 3 research managers, 6 technicians, and 2 secretaries. The group is divided into 6 themes being Biomanufacturing and Digital Twins, Biorefinery, Animal cell technology, Microalgal Biotechnology, Microbial Biotechnology, and Cellular Agriculture. At AlgaePARC 3 technicians and a business developer are employed.

More information on the group can be found on their Bioprocess Engineering | WUR

Researcher Food product development using cultured cells

In this role, you will apply your strong knowledge on food ingredients and their functionality, as well as, advanced expertise in instrumental and sensory technique for assessing food product quality. For activities related to food product development, we are seeking for a motivated postdoctoral research to explore the use of cultured cells in meat products.

Your research will be part of the CRAFT project, coordinated by RespectFarm and funded by EIT Food. The project focuses on innovations in sustainable food systems.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Develop and optimize cell-based meat product prototypes
• Study the shelf-life stability and nutritional value of prototypes
• Assess prototype qualities using advanced instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation panel
• Collaborate closely with experts in cultured cell production and related disciplines
• Supervise BSc and/or MSc student projects
• Analyze experimental data and write high-quality deliverable reports for the project

Your team
You will work at Food Quality and Design group, which is a large multidisciplinary chair group. The vision of the group is that health, sustainability, and quality aspects of food products are fundamental "to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life", i.e. the mission of Wageningen University and Research.

The objectives of FQD are to develop new scientific knowledge on food design and quality management and to train future generations for positions at the boundary between food technology and other disciplines. Better understanding of protein digestion kinetics is one of the key research areas of FQD.

Postdoc in Integrated Agronomic – Genomic – Remote Sensing Data Fusion

Are you passionate about integrating agronomic, genomic, and remote sensing data to better understand plant stress, disease progression, and crop resilience? Do you enjoy working across field campaigns, laboratory analysis, and advanced data systems? Then this postdoctoral position within the ESA-funded HYDRA-EO project (ESA Tender ITT 1-242-649, Crop Multiple Stressors, Pests and Diseases) is an excellent opportunity for you.

HYDRA-EO focuses on the multi-scale detection of biotic and abiotic stress in Mediterranean crops using UAV hyperspectral and thermal imagery, radiative transfer modelling, agronomic field measurements, and genetic markers. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will develop an integrated data framework to combine remote sensing observations, phenotypic measurements, and genomic datasets into a coherent analytical pipeline to support early disease detection and trait interpretation across Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

HYDRA-EO focuses on the multi-scale detection of biotic and abiotic stress in Mediterranean crops using UAV hyperspectral and thermal imagery, radiative transfer modelling, agronomic field measurements, and genetic markers. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will develop an integrated data framework to combine remote sensing observations, phenotypic measurements, and genomic datasets into a coherent analytical pipeline to support early disease detection and trait interpretation across the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain.

You will play a key coordinating role in the 2026 airborne and field campaigns in these countries, facilitating sampling plans, metadata protocols, genetic–phenotypic data integration, and communication between European partners. Your work will directly contribute to the scientific developments of HYDRA-EO and to the preparation of next-generation Earth Observation applications for crop stress monitoring.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Integrate multi-source datasets (remote sensing, agronomic traits, phenotyping records, and genomic markers) into a unified analytical framework.
• Conduct field scouting to identify biotic and abiotic stress symptoms in crops, coordinate sampling activities, and ensure accurate collection of phenotypic information across sites.
• Support the design, implementation, and coordination of UAV hyperspectral and thermal field campaigns in Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
• Process and harmonize phenotyping, genetic, and canopy-level remote sensing measurements for multi-stressor disease detection.
• Collaborate with plant physiologists, geneticists, and remote sensing specialists to link spectral traits with biochemical and genetic variation.
• Contribute to scientific publications, methodological reports, and data standards for HYDRA-EO.
• Communicate effectively with international project partners and stakeholders to support coordinated data collection and field campaign planning in the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain.

Your team
You will be part of the Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing (GRS) at Wageningen University, collaborating closely with researchers working on hyperspectral imaging, radiative transfer modelling, machine learning, agronomy, and plant genetics. You will also work with HYDRA-EO partners in Netherlands, Spain and Italy, contributing to multi-scale crop disease studies and joint field campaigns.

Business Analist

Are you astute, analytical and do you have a nose for improving processes? As a Business Analyst, you are the link between the business and IT. You analyze business processes and translate stakeholder needs into clear solutions. With your insights, you help the organization to work smarter, more efficiently and more customer-oriented.

Your tasks and responsibilities as a business analyst are:

• Understanding the wishes and requirements of the business by clarifying the customer questions and, together with architects and developers, defining the most optimally suitable solution direction for the demand of the business;
• Supporting good decision-making by making impact analyses and business cases;
• Modeling and analyzing business goals, customer journeys, business and information processes, information models and business architecture;
• Supporting Product Owners by further developing the user stories and associated acceptance criteria.

Your team
The business analyst team of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is primarily responsible for analyzing and translating business needs into sustainable and efficient solutions at the intersection of processes, information provision and IT. The team acts as a connecting link between the organization and IT, with the aim of improving processes, supporting digital initiatives and contributing to a future-proof business/information architecture. By listening carefully to the needs of users and stakeholders, and translating them into clear advice and concrete proposals, the team helps to achieve WUR's strategic goals.

Business Analist

Ben jij scherpzinnig, analytisch en heb je een neus voor het verbeteren van processen? Als Business Analist ben jij de schakel tussen de business en IT. Jij analyseert bedrijfsprocessen en vertaalt behoeften van stakeholders naar heldere oplossingen. Met jouw inzichten help je de organisatie om slimmer, efficiënter en klantgerichter te werken.

Jouw taken en verantwoordelijkheden als business analist zijn:

• Het goed doorgronden van de wensen en eisen van de business door het duidelijk krijgen van de klantvragen en samen met architecten en ontwikkelaars de meest optimaal passende oplossingsrichting bij de vraag van de business te definiëren;
• Het ondersteunen van goede besluitvorming door het maken van impactanalyses en business cases;
• Het modelleren en analyseren van bedrijfsdoelen, klantreizen, bedrijfs- en informatieprocessen, informatiemodellen en Business architectuur;
• Het ondersteunen van Product Owners door het verder uitwerken van de user stories en bijbehorende acceptatiecriteria.

Jouw team
Het business analistenteam van Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is primair verantwoordelijk voor het analyseren en vertalen van bedrijfsbehoeften naar duurzame en efficiënte oplossingen op het snijvlak van processen, informatievoorziening en IT. Het team fungeert als verbindende schakel tussen de organisatie en IT, met als doel om processen te verbeteren, digitale initiatieven te ondersteunen en bij te dragen aan een toekomstbestendige business/informatiearchitectuur. Door goed te luisteren naar de behoeften van gebruikers en stakeholders, en deze te vertalen naar heldere adviezen en concrete voorstellen, helpt het team mee om strategische doelen van WUR te realiseren.