Sustainable Business Lecturer

The Business Management and Organisation Group (BMO) at Wageningen University and Research is looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious lecturer in management (and organisational) research to join the team. The position contains an essential role within our curricular management education and within the supervision of bachelor thesis, master thesis, and research internship students, and may develop into an exciting and unique lecturer career track within the group.

As a lecturer, you are devoted to, and have the relevant background needed, to educate students in advanced management theories, in applying management theories in solving societal problems, and in developing (educational) research projects (including theory application and data collection) related to management and organisational studies. The focus of our teaching is to train students to develop research projects where they can solve real-life problems by applying theories and collecting and analyzing data related to management and organisational research. The successful applicant will make an essential contribution to this development, and will organize courses (e.g., “Advanced Business Research”, “Business Theories and Sustainability”), deliver lectures, and give tutorials. Moreover, the position entails management tasks that are essential for BMO, such as internship/thesis coordinator. You will make essential contributions to the development of our new BSc programs and be given the opportunity to attain the nationally recognized Dutch university teaching qualification (UTQ).

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as sustainable business, agricultural business management, strategic management, organizational behavior, innovation management and business studies;
• evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers, as well as initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions, focusing on students;
• prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts;
• coordinate the BMO theses trajectories and/or bachelor redesign across staff and students;
• supervise bachelor thesis, master thesis, and internship thesis students, and keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional organizations and conferences.

PhD Position: Engineering Trustworthy Energy Data Spaces

PhD Position: Engineering Trustworthy Energy Data Spaces for Heat Transition Planning

How can heterogeneous energy data be shared securely and efficiently to accelerate the heat transition?

The transition to sustainable heating requires close collaboration between municipalities, distribution system operators (DSOs), households and other stakeholders. Effective planning depends on the ability to share and combine data from diverse sources, including building characteristics, energy infrastructure, flexibility resources and operational measurements. However, these data are often fragmented across organizations and difficult to exchange due to interoperability challenges, privacy concerns, governance requirements and heterogeneous information systems.

As a PhD candidate, you will engineer the next generation of energy data orchestration solutions for heat transition planning. Building on emerging data space principles, your research will investigate how energy data can be shared securely, interoperably, and efficiently across distributed stakeholders while preserving privacy and supporting future energy applications. Rather than simply implementing existing data space reference architectures, you will develop novel methods, architectural patterns, and engineering approaches that enable trusted data sharing across complex energy ecosystems.

The project
You will join the newly funded NWO (Dutch Research Council) KIC project Sharing the Warmth, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Wageningen University, TU Delft, Hogeschool Utrecht, CWI, Dutch municipalities, DSOs and other societal/industry partners. The project brings together expertise in energy informatics, software engineering, data science, governance and social sciences to develop trusted data-sharing solutions for the heat transition.

Within the project, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD candidates and a postdoctoral researcher working on complementary topics including decision-making under data-sharing constraints, privacy-preserving data sharing, governance and citizen participation. You will also have access to real-world use cases and operational datasets through our network of municipalities, DSOs and industrial/societal partners.

Your research
Your research will investigate how energy data spaces can be engineered to support data-sharing for sustainable heat transition planning. You will explore questions such as:

• How can heterogeneous data from municipalities, DSOs, households, and other stakeholders be represented and orchestrated to support interoperable data sharing?
• How can trustworthy energy data spaces be designed to balance interoperability, scalability, privacy, performance and transparency for different stakeholders?
• How can privacy-preserving mechanisms and AI-assisted data engineering support secure and efficient data sharing while fostering trust and responsible data use?
• How can data orchestration and interoperability solutions better support the information needs and decision-making practices of municipalities, DSOs, and citizens?
• Which architectural patterns and data orchestration mechanisms best support future energy applications and evolving data ecosystems?

Depending on the research direction, you may employ techniques from software architecture, distributed systems, data engineering, semantic interoperability, privacy-preserving data analytics, artificial intelligence or related fields.

Your duties and responsibilities in this 4-year project include:

• analysing data requirements, heterogeneous data sources, and interoperability challenges for heat transition planning;
• designing and implementing trustworthy data orchestration mechanisms based on energy data space principles;
• developing methods for semantic interoperability, data integration, and API-based data exchange across systems involved;
• integrating and evaluating privacy-preserving technologies and AI-assisted data engineering techniques within energy data spaces;
• collaborating with municipalities, DSOs, households, and industry partners to ensure that data-sharing solutions address real-world user needs and stakeholder requirements;
• evaluating the proposed data orchestration solutions through technical validation and real-world case studies with municipalities, DSOs, and other project partners;
• publishing your research in leading international journals and presenting your work at international conferences.

You will work here
This PhD position is embedded in the Information Technology Group at Wageningen University. You will collaborate closely with researchers, societal and industry partners within the NWO (Dutch Research Council) funded research project Sharing the Warmth, led by Dr. Tarek Alskaif.

Intended start date: November 2026.

PhD position: Decision-Making for Heat Transition Planning

PhD Position: Decision-Making for Heat Transition Planning under Data Sharing Constraints

Can grid operators and other stakeholders make robust decisions when the data they need cannot always be shared?

The transition to sustainable heating is one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition. Increasing electrification through technologies such as heat pumps creates new planning and congestion challenges for electricity distribution grids. At the same time, effective planning depends on access to data from multiple stakeholders - including municipalities, distribution system operators (DSOs), and households. However, such data are often fragmented, privacy-sensitive, or unavailable due to technical, legal and organizational constraints.

As a PhD candidate, you will develop novel decision-making methods that enable robust decisions for heat transition planning despite these data-sharing constraints. Rather than assuming full access to data, your research will investigate how planning and operational decisions can be improved when information is incomplete, uncertain, decentralized or privacy-preserved.

The project
You will join the newly funded NWO (Dutch Research Council) KIC project Sharing the Warmth, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Wageningen University, TU Delft, Hogeschool Utrecht, CWI, Dutch municipalities, DSOs, and other societal/industry partners. The project brings together expertise in energy informatics, optimization, data science, social sciences, and governance to develop trusted data-sharing solutions for the heat transition.

Within the project, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD candidates and a postdoctoral researcher working on complementary topics including energy data spaces, privacy-preserving data-sharing, governance, and citizen participation. You will also have access to real-world use cases and operational datasets through our network of municipalities, DSOs and industrial partners.

Your research
Your research will investigate how data-sharing constraints shape decision-making for the heat transition in future electricity networks, using flexible electrification technologies with heat pumps as the primary use case. The research will consider not only technical data availability, but also the governance, privacy and stakeholder requirements that determine how data can be shared and used in practice.

You will explore questions such as:

• What data do municipalities, DSOs, and other stakeholders need for heat transition planning, and how do data ownership and governance arrangements shape the opportunities and barriers for data-sharing?
• How do incomplete, uncertain, or privacy-preserved data influence heat transition planning?
• How can DSOs and municipalities make robust decisions under realistic data-sharing constraints?
• How can flexibility from distributed energy resources be coordinated while respecting data-sharing requirements?
• How can decision-making methods account for varying levels of trust, transparency, and willingness to share data among stakeholders?
• What decision-making methods are most effective when information is decentralized or only partially observable?

Depending on the research direction, you may employ techniques from mathematical modelling, machine learning, uncertainty quantification, distributed decision-making, or other data-driven approaches.

Your duties and responsibilities in this 4-year project include:

• analysing data requirements, data availability, and socio-technical barriers to data-sharing for heat transition planning;
• investigating how incomplete or constrained data influence planning and operational decision-making;
• modelling the flexibility of heat pumps and other distributed energy resources for congestion management and heat transition planning;
• working together with interdisciplinary researchers to translate stakeholder needs and data-sharing requirements into decision-support methods;
• developing novel decision-making methods for electricity networks with flexible electrification technologies;
• evaluating and validating the proposed methods using realistic datasets and case studies with municipalities and DSOs;
• publishing your research in leading international journals and presenting your work at international conferences.

You will work here
This PhD position is embedded in the Information Technology Group at Wageningen University. You will collaborate closely with researchers, societal and industry partners within the NWO (Dutch Research Council) funded research project Sharing the Warmth, led by Dr. Tarek Alskaif.

Intended start date: November 2026.

Scientist Biological control based on microbiology

Make an impact on sustainable agriculture!

Are you an ambitious scientist with expertise in biological control and crop protection? Do you enjoy leading research projects and collaborating with partners across science, industry, and government? Then this position could be the perfect next step in your career.

As a Biological Control Scientist in Wageningen, you will contribute to the development of sustainable solutions for managing diseases and pests in agriculture and horticulture through the use of micro-organisms. You will play a key role in initiating, coordinating, and conducting applied research projects together with multidisciplinary teams and external partners.

In this position, you will have a high degree of independence and responsibility. You will take over running projects, identify new research opportunities and initiate/acquire new projects, lead and manage ongoing research projects, contribute to knowledge development and sharing, and work closely with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Your work will focus on advancing biological crop protection strategies and translating scientific insights into practical applications for sustainable food production.

You will be based in Wageningen and collaborate with experts from related fields such as (meta)genomics, soil health, microbiome, phytopathology, bacteriology, nematology, entomology and diagnostics.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• acquiring, coordinating, leading, and conducting research projects on biological control within multidisciplinary teams;
• Reporting research outcomes through reports, scientific publications, trade articles, presentations, newsletters, and online communication channels;
• supervising project staff, interns, and students;
• building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and translating their questions into relevant and feasible research projects;
• translating research findings into practical recommendations and applications for clients and other stakeholders.

Your team
You will join Wageningen Plant Research, part of Wageningen University & Research. Within the business unit Biointeractions & Plant Health, you will work together with colleagues who are dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable solutions for diseases and pests in agriculture and horticulture.

While current crop protection agents reduce yield losses, they often may have a negative impact on people and the environment. Bio-interactions & Plant Health develops solutions such as biological crop protection and resilient cropping systems, offering opportunities for sustainable food production worldwide. The interaction between plants and diseases & pests is the focal point of our research.

We study the interactions between plants and harmful or beneficial organisms, including insects, fungi, viruses, and bacteria, both above and below ground. In addition, we develop advanced diagnostic methods to detect harmful organisms throughout the production chain.

The Biointeractions & Plant Health team is based in Wageningen and works closely with national and international partners from science, industry, and government.

Onderzoeker Biologische bestrijding op basis van microbiologie

Draag bij aan duurzame landbouw!

Ben jij een ambitieuze onderzoeker met expertise in biologische bestrijding en gewasbescherming? Krijg je energie van het leiden van onderzoeksprojecten en het samenwerken met partners uit wetenschap, bedrijfsleven en overheid? Dan is deze functie mogelijk de volgende stap in jouw carrière.

Als Onderzoeker Biologische Bestrijding draag je bij aan de ontwikkeling van duurzame oplossingen voor de beheersing van ziekten en plagen in de land- en tuinbouw met behulp van micro-organismen. Je speelt een belangrijke rol in het initiëren, coördineren en uitvoeren van toegepast onderzoek, samen met multidisciplinaire teams en externe partners.

In deze functie krijg je veel zelfstandigheid en verantwoordelijkheid. Je neemt lopende projecten over, zet nieuwe onderzoeksprojecten op en geeft leiding aan de uitvoering ervan. Daarbij draag je actief bij aan kennisontwikkeling en kennisdeling en werk je nauw samen met collega’s, opdrachtgevers en stakeholders uit zowel de publieke als private sector. Je richt je op de verdere ontwikkeling van biologische gewasbeschermingsstrategieën en de vertaling van wetenschappelijke inzichten naar praktische toepassingen voor duurzame voedselproductie.

Je standplaats is Wageningen, waar je samenwerkt met experts uit aanverwante vakgebieden zoals (meta)genomica, bodemgezondheid, microbioom, fytopathologie, bacteriologie, nematologie, entomologie en diagnostiek.

Jouw taken en verantwoordelijkheden als Onderzoeker Biologische Bestrijding zijn:

• het acquireren, coördineren, leiden en uitvoeren van onderzoeksprojecten op het gebied van biologische bestrijding binnen multidisciplinaire teams;
• het rapporteren van onderzoeksresultaten via rapporten, wetenschappelijke publicaties, vakbladartikelen, presentaties, nieuwsbrieven en online communicatiekanalen;
• het begeleiden van HBO onderzoekers, projectmedewerkers, stagiairs en studenten;
• het opbouwen en onderhouden van goede relaties met opdrachtgevers en het vertalen van hun vragen naar relevante en haalbare onderzoeksprojecten;
• het vertalen van onderzoeksresultaten naar praktische aanbevelingen en toepassingen voor opdrachtgevers en andere stakeholders.

Jouw team
Je gaat werken bij Wageningen Plant Research, onderdeel van Wageningen University & Research. Binnen de business unit Biointeracties & Plantgezondheid werk je samen met collega’s die zich inzetten voor de ontwikkeling van innovatieve en duurzame oplossingen voor ziekten en plagen in de land- en tuinbouw.

Hoewel huidige gewasbeschermingsmiddelen opbrengstverliezen beperken, kunnen zij vaak ook een negatieve impact op mens en milieu hebben. Biointeracties & Plantgezondheid ontwikkelt daarom oplossingen zoals biologische gewasbescherming en robuuste teeltsystemen die ziekten en plagen op een natuurlijke wijze kunnen weren. Hiermee dragen wij bij aan duurzame voedselproductie wereldwijd.

De interactie tussen planten en ziekten en plagen staat centraal in ons onderzoek. We bestuderen de interacties tussen planten en schadelijke of nuttige organismen, waaronder insecten, schimmels, virussen en bacteriën, zowel boven- als ondergronds. Daarnaast ontwikkelen we geavanceerde diagnostische methoden voor het detecteren van schadelijke organismen in de gehele productieketen.

De business unit Biointeracties & Plantgezondheid is gevestigd in Wageningen en werkt nauw samen met nationale en internationale partners uit wetenschap, bedrijfsleven en overheid.