Postdoc position for Scaling the Adoption of RWH Technologies in the Sahel

Are you a development economist passionate about climate adaptation and food security in sub-Saharan Africa? This post-doctoral position offers a rare opportunity to contribute to an ambitious, policy-relevant research program at the frontier of agricultural development and environmental sustainability.

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) techniques can reverse land degradation, improve soil quality, and increase incomes for smallholder farmers in the Sahel — yet adoption on private land remains below 10% in many countries, such as Niger. Our consortium has spent a decade uncovering why. Building on a randomized control trial between 2018 and 2022 showing that a single half-day training dramatically increased adoption (Aker and Jack 2025), this project now seeks to scale those insights across other regions of Niger, as well as pilot interventions in Mali and Nigeria.

Based at WUR and embedded in an international, inter-disciplinary consortium — spanning economists, soil scientists, agronomists, remote sensing specialists, and Sahelian research partners — this post-doc position will help to lead the cross-cutting work package that co-develops, implements, analyses, and communicates findings from pilots and RCTs across three countries. This position will work closely with PIs Jenny Aker and Erwin Bulte, ICRISAT, the University of Diffa, Sahel Consulting Group, and the Niger Ministry of Environment.

This position will involve a significant amount of travel within West Africa, and will be responsible for helping to organize stakeholder workshops, co-develop and implement pilots, co-organize data collection, assist with analysis and contribute to policy. The position suits a researcher who combines rigorous quantitative skills, especially in the area of randomized control trials, with experience with complex development challenges.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Coordination across consortium and work packages Serve as the day-to-day research coordinator across work packages, liaising with consortium partners at WUR, ICRISAT, the University of Diffa, Sahel Consulting Group, and the Ministry of Environment. Support the project management structure led by PIs Aker and Bulte, including preparation of progress reports, meeting documentation, and monitoring and evaluation against the project's impact pathway indicators.
• Quantitative data management and impact evaluation support Design and oversee data management protocols for large-scale survey datasets collected across ±600 villages and up to 10,000 households in Niger. Contribute to the analysis of RCT results, including estimation of treatment effects on RWH adoption, soil quality, agricultural production, and farmer revenues, disaggregated by gender and agro-ecological zone.
• Cross-country synthesis and comparative analysis Systematically compile and analyze results from pilot interventions and RCTs conducted across Niger and feasibility studies in Mali and Nigeria. Produce comparative analyses that identify what works, for whom, and under what conditions, drawing on survey data, earth observation outputs, and qualitative inquiry from all consortium partners.
• Mentorship and capacity strengthening Contribute to the supervision and mentoring of PhD and MSc students affiliated with the project at WUR and the University of Diffa. Participate in capacity-building workshops for local stakeholders — including training in the Eight Question Method (8QM) and impact evaluation methods — helping to strengthen research design and policy evaluation skills among government partners and local research staff.
• Research dissemination and knowledge translation Prepare peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and working papers synthesizing project findings for academic and practitioner audiences. Present results at dissemination workshops with governments, NGOs, and communities in Niger, Mali, and Nigeria, and contribute to the project's strategic communications to ensure evidence reaches and influences relevant policymakers and scaling actors.

The team is comprised of PIs Jenny C. Aker (Cornell) and Erwin Bulte (WUR), researchers at the University of Diffa (Malam Assane Maigari), ICRISAT (Kidia Gelaye and Bouba Traore) and the Sahel Consulting Group (Adamou Hamadou and Mounkaila Kindo Boubacar), as well as partner staff at the Ministry of Environment and other NGO stakeholders. The position will be based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, with frequent travel to Niger, Mali and Nigeria.

This position will be based at the Development Economics Group at Wageningen University and Research (WUR).

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

Trainer Korfbalvereniging Débaldérin

Heb jij een passie voor sport en in het bijzonder voor Korfbal? Wil jij anderen graag iets leren en ben jij in staat een groep fanatieke studenten te enthousiasmeren? Dan zijn wij bij Sports Centre de Bongerd op zoek naar jou!

Voor onze studentenkorfbalvereniging Débaldérin zijn wij per direct op zoek naar een: Trainer Korfbal

Jouw baan
Als korfbaltrainer ben je verantwoordelijk voor het trainen en begeleiden van de competitiespelers en de recreatieve spelers van studentensportvereniging Débaldérin. De vereniging telt ruim 40 (student)leden. De trainingen vinden plaats op dinsdag 19:00 – 20:30 en donderdag van 20:00 - 21:30 uur (in overleg met de vereniging kunnen andere tijden eventueel worden geaccommodeerd) en worden verzorgd vanuit Sports Centre de Bongerd, in samenwerking met Débaldérin. Op een doorsnee training zijn er 15 tot 20 leden aanwezig.

Débaldérin neemt deel aan de competitie van de Nederlandse korfbalbond (KNKV), en komen daarin uit in de midweek en de zaterdagcompetitie.

Jouw belangrijkste taak is het ontwikkelen van zowel competitiespelers als recreatieve spelers, met als doel het verhogen van het spelniveau, het vergroten van het spelplezier en het behalen van competitieve resultaten.

Naast de reguliere trainingen neem je enkele keren per jaar deel aan team- en docent overleggen, bijscholingsactiviteiten, WeDay, de AID en/of personeelsuitjes. Deze activiteiten vinden plaats buiten je gebruikelijke werktijden.

Hier ga je werken
Het Sports Centre de Bongerd (SCB) van Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is verantwoordelijk voor het sportprogramma voor studenten en medewerkers van WUR. In totaal maken 6500 studenten en 900 medewerkers actief gebruik van het sportcentrum dat bestaat uit 45 gespecialiseerde sportdocenten, 9 management- en beheermedewerkers. Het SCB heeft een initiërende en actieve rol bij de uitvoering van het gezondheidsprogramma Vital@work.

Het sportcentrum bevindt zich aan de rand van de campus en vormt de uitvalsbasis voor de diverse studentensportverenigingen. Door het grote aantal internationale studenten en medewerkers is de voertaal op de campus grotendeels Engels.

Trainer Korfballassociation Débaldérin

Do you have a passion for sports, and korfball in particular? Do you enjoy teaching others and are you able to motivate a group of enthusiastic students? Then Sports Centre de Bongerd is looking for you!
For our student korfball association Débaldérin, we are looking for a:

Korfball Trainer
Starting as soon as possible
Your job
As a korfball trainer, you are responsible for training and coaching both the competitive players and the recreational players of the student sports association Débaldérin. The association has over 40 (student) members. Training sessions take place on Tuesdays from 19:00–20:30 and Thursdays from 20:00–21:30 (alternative times may be arranged in consultation with the association) and are provided through Sports Centre de Bongerd in cooperation with Débaldérin. A typical training session has 15 to 20 members in attendance.

Débaldérin participates in the competition of the Dutch Korfball Association (KNKV), competing in both the midweek league and the Saturday league.
Your main task is to develop both competitive and recreational players, aiming to improve the level of play, increase enjoyment, and achieve competitive results.

In addition to regular training sessions, you will take part several times a year in team and staff meetings, training activities, WeDay, the AID, and/or staff outings. These activities take place outside your regular working hours.

You will work here
The Sports Centre de Bongerd (SCB) of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is responsible for the sports program for students and staff of WUR. A total of 6500 students and 900 employees actively use the sports centre, which consists of 45 specialized sports teachers, 9 management and administration staff. The CPC has an initiating and active role in the implementation of the health program Vital@work. The sports centre is located on the edge of the campus and is the base for the various student sports associations. Due to the large number of international students and staff, the language of instruction on campus (and at GVC) is largely English.

PhD in Light Management in All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells

All-perovskite tandem solar cells have recently achieved record efficiencies above 29%, demonstrating their enormous potential for next-generation photovoltaic technologies. Despite this rapid progress, optical losses still limit device performance. Reflection losses, parasitic absorption, and incomplete spectral splitting reduce the efficient use of sunlight in tandem architectures.
In this PhD project, you will develop innovative light-management concepts to minimize these optical losses and improve the efficiency of all-perovskite tandem solar cells. The work combines nanophotonic design, optical modelling, materials processing, and device fabrication.
The project is embedded in the national SolarNL initiative and includes collaborations with leading Dutch research institutes and industrial partners, including AMOLF and TNO.

You will investigate:

• Photonic and light-management structures for enhanced absorption in tandem solar cells
• Material growth strategies to reduce parasitic optical losses in e.g. transparent conducting oxides.
• Advanced spectral management concepts for improved current matching
• Optical simulations and modelling of multilayer photovoltaic devices
• Fabrication and characterization of optical coatings and perovskite tandem devices

PhD candidate 'Evaluation and Optimization of Photon-Counting CT for Advanced Chest Imaging'

Job description
Recent developments in photon-counting CT (PCCT) technology offer new opportunities to improve the diagnostic quality of chest imaging. With its ability to provide ultra-high-resolution (UHR) images and spectral information, PCCT has the potential to enhance the assessment of pulmonary and vascular diseases. However, the added clinical value of this technology in routine practice remains to be fully explored.

In this 4-year PhD project, we aim to investigate and establish the clinical potential of PCCT for chest imaging. The project will focus on identifying relevant clinical applications, exploring promising patient populations, and testing initial hypotheses regarding the added value of spectral imaging and super-high-resolution (SHR) imaging. The outcomes of this feasibility phase will guide the development of future large-scale clinical studies.

The project will be conducted as a team effort, in close collaboration with researchers within the department and clinicians involved in chest imaging and clinical research. This multidisciplinary setting ensures strong integration of technical developments with clinically relevant research questions.

Tasks will include:

• Designing and conducting feasibility studies, including study design and protocol development, for chest imaging using PCCT.
• Collaborating with clinicians to identify and recruit suitable patient populations.
• Analyzing and interpreting imaging and clinical data, including quantitative and AI-based approaches.
• Collecting and integrating non-radiological (clinical) data for comprehensive analysis.
• Optimizing imaging protocols and scanner workflow.
• Contributing to ethics applications and study preparation for follow-up research.
• Presenting findings at scientific meetings and preparing scientific publications.

This project offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of advanced CT imaging technology, in close collaboration with clinical and technical experts, and to help shape the future direction of chest imaging research.