PhD in nutrition modelling for professional dietary guidance

Do you want to contribute to finding practical solutions for optimized nutrient adequacy, when shifting towards more plant-based diets in Europe? Are you interested to become part of our dynamic and interdisciplinary research team? Read on!

The Chair Global Nutrition at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, is looking for highly skilled and motivated applicants for a PhD scholarship (DC12) focused on the development and validation of a modelling framework to support professionals to choose and advise foods, meals and diets with superior nutrient delivery, with the aim to find practical solutions for optimized nutrient adequacy when shifting towards more plant-based diets in Europe.

You will use the Dutch Food Composition Table, updated with anti-nutrient content (phytate, tannins, oxalate), to apply and further develop mathematical models to estimate the absorbable micronutrient content from meals and dietary patterns.

You will build upon the existing Alpha framework (originally developed to model protein quality, see https://alpha-tool.eu) and further develop it as a research-oriented modelling and demonstration platform to calculate and explore absorbable iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin A in foods and meals. The platform will be used to simulate how relatively simple changes in food composition, meal structure, or dietary patterns may influence micronutrient adequacy.

In addition, you will evaluate how different professional user groups interpret and interact with modelling outputs in order to improve scientific usability and transparency.

MICROSUNSET is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) funded by the European Union, in which we have 12 open positions for Doctoral Candidates (DCs). We aim to create a network of early-stage researchers equipped with knowledge and skills - including entrepreneurship –to develop and support implementation strategies that address micronutrient deficiencies in Europe as diets shift toward more plant-based foods.

For MICROSUNSET we will recruit 12 highly talented DCs, whose collective research will focus on bio-accessibility and bioavailability of micronutrients, and strategies to produce and process plant-based foods with enhanced concentration of micronutrients as an integrative part of sustainable and healthy diets. Development of analytical methods, digestion models, dietary modelling, and conducting consumer surveys will form part of the Doctoral Network’s tasks.

The 12 PhD candidates will be based across seven different universities in Europe: four in Denmark (three at the Technical University of Denmark and one at the University of Copenhagen), two in Germany (Technical University of Munich), one in the Netherlands (Wageningen University), one in Ireland (University College Cork), two in the United Kingdom (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), and two in Finland (University of Helsinki).

To train the DCs as the next generation of micronutrient researchers in our international and interdisciplinary program, MICROSUNSET brings together experts from several disciplines as supervisors, forming a consortium of seven beneficiaries (see above) and fourteen associated partners including six from industry and two start-ups. Throughout the project, you will collaborate with other Doctoral Candidates (DCs) in the MICROSUNSET consortium to contribute to generating evidence-based knowledge about micronutrient content, intake, digestibility and bioavailability from plant-based diets.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• enrol in the graduate school VLAG and comply with its doctoral training requirements;
• participate actively in the MICROSUNSET training (12 ECTS), dissemination, communication and exploitation activities;
• conduct high-quality research under supervision of a diverse scientific team;
• publish and present research results in international conference proceedings and peer-reviewed scientific journals;
• prepare and defend a doctoral thesis in the field of micronutrients and sustainable food products;
• support student supervision and contribute to teaching at BSc and MSc levels.

You will work here
You will be employed full-time at Wageningen University within the MSCA-DN MICROSUNSET for a period of 48 months. Your research is embedded within the chair Global Nutrition (https://www.wur.nl/en/chair-groups/human-nutrition-and-health/global-nutrition) at the Division of Human Nutrition and Health (https://www.wur.nl/en/chair-groups/human-nutrition-and-health), and is led by Dr Alida Melse-Boonstra (https://www.wur.nl/en/persons/drir-alida-melse-boonstra).

You will be co-supervised by Dr Pol Grootswagers, Prof. Susanne Gjalsted (University of Copenhagen), Dr Tessa de Bie (Unilever) and Dr Ans Eilander (Unilever).

Part of the PhD-study will take place as external stay at Unilever (Wageningen, the Netherlands) for 6 months, and at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) for 2 months.

The envisaged start date of this appointment is June 1st, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Medewerker Onderwijsondersteuning Bodemgeografie en Landschap (19 uur p/w)

Ben jij de proactieve en initiatiefrijke persoon die ervan houdt collega’s te ondersteunen, samen te brengen en kennisdeling te faciliteren? Help jij graag docenten de weg te leren kennen in administratieve processen rondom onderwijs en hen daarbij te ondersteunen, zodat ze zich zoveel mogelijk op de kwaliteit van hun onderwijs kunnen richten?

Wageningen Universiteit zoekt een onderwijsondersteuner bij de leerstoelgroep Bodemgeografie en Landschap (SGL). Een mooie baan in een enthousiaste en gedreven groep, waarin je direct bijdraagt aan een van de kerntaken van onze Universiteit.

Jouw taken en verantwoordelijkheden zijn:

• Ondersteuning bij de organisatie van vakken (betreffende roostering, zalen boeken, onderwijsmaterialen, studentinschrijvingen, groepsindelingen, etc.).
• Logistieke ondersteuning bij excursies en veldwerk.
• Onderhoud van de digitale leeromgeving.
• Beheer van gedeelde vak-emailboxen.
• Ondersteuning bij de organisatie van (her)tentamens.
• Assistentie bij de werving van student-assistenten.
• Ondersteuning van de onderwijscoördinator bij het organiseren van de onderwijsbijeenkomsten.

Je gaat samenwerken met de docenten en het ondersteunend personeel binnen onze groep, waarbij je standplaats Wageningen is.

Project & Technical Manager @ UNLOCK Modular Bioreactor Platform

Do you want to work at the forefront of microbial innovation? As a Project & Technical Manager at the UNLOCK Modular Bioreactor Platform you will enable high-quality research by combining scientific expertise with technical and project management skills.

You will support researchers from academia and industry in designing and executing experiments, ensuring they make the most of the platform’s advanced capabilities.

Are you energized by high-tech research environments, enjoy working with diverse stakeholders, and want to contribute to cutting-edge microbial innovation? Then this could be your next career move.

What will you do?
As Project & Technical Manager, you will support and facilitate research projects carried out by users of the UNLOCK Modular Bioreactor Platform, part of the UNLOCK large-scale open infrastructure for microbial research. You combine scientific expertise with technical coordination and user support to ensure high-quality research outcomes.

Your key responsibilities include:

• user support and proposal development: Facilitating user projects, advising on experimental design and feasibility, contributing to proposal writing, and supporting the acquisition of new users in close collaboration with the Platform Manager;
• coordination within UNLOCK: Aligning projects with other UNLOCK platforms, including FAIR Data and Biodiscovery, and co-developing analytical plans together with dedicated analytical staff;
• project execution and training: Acting as the primary point of contact throughout the project lifecycle, providing training on facilities, workflows, bioreactor modules, and FAIR data practices to enable independent operation;
• technical configuration and commissioning: Adapting and configuring bioreactor set-ups where needed, performing test experiments (e.g., for new sensors), and supporting the commissioning of new platform elements;
• method validation and platform development: Assisting in the validation of new analytical methods and contributing to the continuous development and optimization of the platform.

You will work under the supervision of Dr. David Strik, Platform Manager of the Modular bioreactor Platform. Here you are part of a team working with technicians, analysts and colleagues that work in UNLOCK and/or the Environmental Technology Group. CLICK HERE for a short video about UNLOCK or visit the UNLOCK website to check-out more details of our bioreactor modules and advanced analytical equipment.

You will work here
The laboratories of the Modular Bioreactor Platform are physically located at the chair-group Environmental Technology of Wageningen University & Research.

Education Support Officer Soil Geography and Landscape (19h p/w)

Are you the proactive and initiative-driven person who enjoys supporting colleagues, bringing people together, and facilitating knowledge sharing? Do you like helping lecturers navigate administrative processes related to education and supporting them so they can focus as much as possible on the quality of their teaching?

Wageningen University is looking for an Education Support Officer for the chair group of Soil Geography and Landscape (SGL). This is a great opportunity within an enthusiastic and dedicated team, where you will directly contribute to one of the core missions of our University.

Your tasks and responsibilities include:

• Supporting the organization of courses (with regard to scheduling, room bookings, teaching materials, student registrations, group allocations, etc.).
• Providing logistical support for excursions and fieldwork.
• Maintaining the digital learning environment.
• Managing shared course email inboxes.
• Supporting the organization of (resit) examinations.
• Assisting with the recruitment of student assistants.
• Supporting the education coordinator in the organization of education meetings.

You will work closely with lecturers and support staff within our group. Your workplace will be Wageningen.

Postdoc position: Strengthening One Health governance

Are you motivated to improve the way societies govern complex human, animal and environmental health challenges? Do you enjoy working across disciplines, engaging with diverse partners, and translating research into actionable strategies for policymakers? Are you excited by the prospect of performing a mixed-methods study on evaluating One Health surveillance systems, governance, and law in real-world settings?

The ‘One Health’ approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Creating a supportive governance and regulatory environment—spanning institutional structures, policies, and legal frameworks—is essential for making this approach work in practice. This project aims to accelerate the regulatory, policy and societal adoption of One Health by refining assessment tools for policymakers and stipulating pathways for strengthening the surveillance systems, governance, policy, and legal conditions needed for the control of zoonotic and antimicrobial diseases in different country settings, with a specific focus on biocide impacts on antimicrobial resistance in One Health settings.

Tasks
Your project consists of two interrelated tasks. Firstly, in the context of the BIORESIST project, the postdoc will review biocide regulation for the prevention of zoonotic diseases (i.e., poultry diseases) in selected countries, analyse relevant policy frameworks, and carry out semi-structured interviews with stakeholders including in national reference laboratories, local farmers, veterinarians, and policymakers.

Secondly, in the context of the ERRAZE project, the postdoc will evaluate a WUR prototype One Health policy screening tool on the usability, scalability and adoptability of One Health policies by decision-makers, and expanding the regulatory dimension and utility of the tool at different governmental levels.

In the context of these two assignments, you will play a key role in advising national governments - some already pioneering with a National One Health Strategy on implementation and compliance conditions for One Health - at county-level. This includes mapping governance gaps, advising on policy and regulatory reforms, and co-creating with local partners a roadmap for improving zoonotic and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance systems, governance structures, funding streams, institutional coordination, and multistakeholder and farmer engagement and self-sustaining capacity for societal resilience.

This work requires both analytical and qualitative research skills, policy analysis experience, and experience working in different One Health settings abroad.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Contribute to the BIORESIST study by evaluating biocide regulations to prevent biocide resistance, zoonotic diseases and anti-microbial resistance.
• Contribute to the ERRAZE study by evaluating and reporting on the prototype One Health policy screening tool through testing and stakeholder engagement.
• Collaborate with, and formulate advice to international partner country governments, policymakers, and user organizations to co-develop actionable knowledge on conditions for the formation, adoption, implementation of One health policies and regulations as well as societal resilience and self-sustaining capacity within and across country contexts.
• Based on this work, prepare two papers for publication.

Your team

Health & Society (HSO) Group
The Health and Society group is embedded in widening circles of engagement with the major challenges facing human and planetary health today. HSO studies the domain of people, places, policies, or the planet more broadly, engaging with these domains with the aim to improve health and society. The chairgroup HSO focuses on the sociological study of public health, health promotion and health protection, in both resource poor and research rich contexts, with emphasis on (1) the social, natural and built environment, and (2) the role of actors and social institutions in advancing health and wellbeing.

You will work here
Because of the interdisciplinary character of the project, the Postdoc will be embedded within the Healthy and Society Group, and you will collaborate with the Law Group. You will have access to a vibrant interdisciplinary research community and opportunities for professional development through workshops, conferences, and collaborations. Due to the short-term nature of the contract, we will only consider applications of candidates that are already based in the Netherlands.

This position is part of the Academic Career Framework (ACF) at Wageningen University & Research.