Onderzoeker Fysiologie Vis

Wil jij met vernieuwend fysiologisch en neurofysiologisch onderzoek bijdragen aan duurzame aquacultuur en visserij?

In deze rol werk je aan onderzoek dat direct impact heeft op het welzijn van gehouden en gevangen vissen en schaaldieren én op duurzame voeding binnen de aquacultuur. Je zet jouw expertise in op het gebied van fysiologie en neurofysiologie, waarbij je onder andere werkt met EEG-metingen en fysiologische metingen om het welzijn en de voeding van deze dieren beter te begrijpen.

Je werkt in internationale projectteams samen met universiteiten, onderzoeksinstellingen en bedrijven van over de hele wereld. Daarbij voer je ook experimenten en onderzoek uit in het buitenland en bouw je actief aan een internationaal netwerk binnen de aquacultuur- en visserijsector. Door de samenwerking met professionals uit verschillende landen en disciplines maak je kennis met uiteenlopende werkwijzen en culturen. Die internationale dynamiek verrijkt niet alleen het onderzoek, maar draagt ook sterk bij aan jouw ontwikkeling als professional en onderzoeker.

Jouw taken en verantwoordelijkheden als onderzoeker zijn:

• Ontwikkeling van onderzoeksvoorstellen en projectplannen in samenwerking met stakeholders;
• Opzetten en uitvoeren van experimenten, verzamelen en analyseren van gegevens, formuleren van conclusies en aanbevelingen;
• Aansturen van een projectteam en begeleiden van de praktische uitvoering van het project;
• Schrijven van wetenschappelijke rapporten en artikelen;
• Resultaten presenteren aan opdrachtgevers en andere belanghebbenden en/of op (inter)nationale conferenties.

Jouw team
Je komt terecht in het team Dierenwelzijn en Gezondheid, één van de vijf onderzoeksafdelingen van Wageningen Livestock Research. Samen met zo’n 45 bevlogen projectleiders, onderzoekers, onderzoeksassistenten en promovendi werk je aan innovatieve oplossingen voor de veehouderij van de toekomst.

Je werkt primair binnen het team Dierenwelzijn en Gezondheid, maar bent daarnaast ook betrokken bij het team Diervoeding. De samenwerking tussen deze teams speelt een belangrijke rol in deze functie. Voeding, gezondheid en welzijn zijn immers nauw met elkaar verbonden. Daarom zetten we actief in op het versterken van de verbinding tussen beide teams, zodat kennis, expertise en innovatieve onderzoeksbenaderingen elkaar optimaal aanvullen.

Onze expertise ligt op het gebied van dierenwelzijn, diergedrag, diergezondheid en resilience. Daarbij staat één doel centraal: bijdragen aan een duurzame, dierwaardige én economisch rendabele aquacultuur en veehouderij. We combineren diepgaande vakkennis met innovatieve technieken zoals sensortechnologie, big data-analyse, AI en microbiomics. Veel projecten hebben een multidisciplinair karakter, waardoor je intensief samenwerkt met collega’s uit verschillende vakgebieden en impact maakt op actuele maatschappelijke vraagstukken.

Researcher in Fish Physiology

Would you like to contribute to sustainable aquaculture and fisheries through innovative physiological and neurophysiological research?

In this role, you will work on research that has a direct impact on the welfare of farmed and wild-caught fish and shellfish, as well as on sustainable nutrition in aquaculture. You will apply your expertise in physiology and neurophysiology, working with EEG recordings and physiological measurements to gain a better understanding of animal welfare and nutrition.

You will collaborate in international project teams with universities, research institutes and companies from around the world. You will also conduct experiments and research abroad and actively build an international network in the aquaculture and fisheries sector. Working with professionals from different countries and disciplines will expose you to a wide range of working methods and cultures. This international dynamic not only enriches the research itself, but also makes a significant contribution to your development as a professional and researcher.

Your duties and responsibilities as a researcher will include:

• Developing research proposals and project plans in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Designing and conducting experiments, collecting and analysing data, and formulating conclusions and recommendations.
• Leading a project team and supervising the practical implementation of projects.
• Writing scientific reports and publications.
• Presenting results to clients and other stakeholders and/or at national and international conferences.

Your team
You will join the Animal Welfare and Health team, one of the five research departments within Wageningen Livestock Research. Together with around 45 dedicated project leaders, researchers, research assistants and PhD candidates, you will work on innovative solutions for the livestock farming systems of the future.

You will primarily work in the Animal Welfare and Health team, while also being involved in the Animal Nutrition team. Due to the close interconnection between nutrition, health and welfare, collaboration between these teams plays an important role in this position. We therefore actively encourage strengthening the connection between both teams, enabling knowledge, expertise and innovative research methods to complement each other effectively.

Our expertise covers animal welfare, animal behaviour, animal health and resilience. One central goal underpins all our work: contributing to sustainable, animal-friendly and economically viable aquaculture and livestock farming. We combine in-depth specialist knowledge with innovative technologies such as sensor technology, big data analysis, AI and microbiomics. Many projects are multidisciplinary in nature, meaning you will work closely with colleagues from different fields and contribute to addressing current societal challenges.

PhD: Computational Catalyst Design

Do you want to shape the future of sustainability? We are seeking a highly self-motivated PhD candidate to join our team working on atomic level catalyst design and reaction mechanism of CO2 and CO hydrogenation processes.

The project focuses on understanding of reaction mechanisms and establishing structure–reactivity relationships in CO2 and CO heterogeneous catalysis using a combination of DFT, AIMD, and machine-learning potential driven MD. The PhD position is embedded in a broader research consortium working on green hydrogen and electrons for carbon-based chemistry. This project will have a close collaboration with experimental and industrial catalysis partners.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• atomic-scale modeling of heterogeneous catalysis of CO2 and CO hydrogenation reaction;
• reaction mechanisms, kinetics, and dynamics under realistic conditions;
• development and application of machine-learning methods;
• supervision of thesis students and teaching assistance.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Biobased Chemistry and Technology, and member of the Computational Catalysis and Surface Chemistry team, which is led by Dr. Guanna Li.

PhD Position: Nutrition, Exercise and Biological Ageing

Are you interested in how nutrition and exercise can be used to slow biological ageing? Do you want to contribute to an ambitious national research programme that combines nutrition science, exercise physiology, omics technologies and data science to improve healthy ageing?

As a PhD candidate in the BIO-COMPaSS consortium, you will investigate how nutrition and exercise influence biological ageing and how personalised lifestyle interventions can be developed using biological age indicators, biomarkers and advanced omics technologies. You will combine data analysis with intervention research and collaborate with researchers, healthcare professionals and societal partners across the Netherlands.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• analysing dietary intake, physical activity, biomarker and omics data in relation to biological age indicators;
• investigating how metabolomic, proteomic and other biological markers respond to nutrition and exercise interventions;
• developing data-driven approaches to support personalised nutrition and exercise advice;
• designing, obtaining ethical approval for, and conducting a personalised lifestyle intervention study;
• publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals and presenting results at national and international conferences.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Human Nutrition and Health chair group and the Nutritional Biology team, which is led by Prof. Kerensa Broersen. The project is part of the BIO-COMPaSS consortium, a large national research programme funded through the Netherlands Science Agenda (NWA). You will be supervised by Dr. Pol Grootswagers, Dr. Rob Wüst (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and Prof. Renger Witkamp.

BIO-COMPaSS (BIOlogical age-driven, COMmunal, Personalised System for Sustainable health promotion) is a research consortium exploring how feedback on biological age can motivate healthier sustainable habits. It aims to identify and validate aging biomarkers, understand how psychological and social factors influence lifestyle choices, develop personalized exercise and nutrition plans, and test how to implement these in Dutch society. Supported by data science, sensors, and real-world studies, the project seeks to create a sustainable, personalized health system. The close collaboration between citizens, scientists and companies is unique. The approach offers the prospect of a future in which prevention and personal health play a central role in the healthcare system. The project is funded through the Netherlands Science Agenda (NWA) program. To learn more about the research or the organizations involved, you can visit the website https://bio-compass.nl.

You will collaborate closely with PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and consortium partners from a broad range of disciplines including nutrition, exercise science, data science, behavioural sciences and ageing research.

PhD: Genomic and genetic variation underlying temperature responses

Do you have a keen interest in genetics and the adaptational abilities of plants and like to involve the general public in your science? Are you skilled in applying cutting-edge genomics and phenomics tools and want to understand nature’s solutions to deal with a changing environment? Do you want to apply these skills in establishing snowdrops as a model for temperature responsiveness? We may have the perfect opportunity for you!

The Laboratory of Nematology at Wageningen University & Research is seeking a motivated and curiosity-driven PhD researcher to join the genomics team. You will be part of an interdisciplinary and collaborative team consisting of both experimentalists and bioinformaticians. Together with the Plant Stress Resilience group of Utrecht University, we recently obtained funding to investigate temperature responsiveness in Snowdrop (Galanthus spp.) and A. thaliana. In this project, we are looking for a PhD researcher to develop and apply genetic, genomic (e.g. Iso-Seq and RNAseq) and phenomics tools to model temperature dose-responsiveness in Snowdrops. A main aim will be to generate a reference transcriptome for this iconic species, as none exists yet. You will work together with a PhD researcher at Utrecht university (who will focus on A. thaliana) to develop, conduct and analyze experiments in the Netherlands Plant Eco-Phenotyping Center (NPEC). Early in the project you will set-up a citizen science project and do some field work to acquire a diversity panel of Snowdrop accessions that you will use throughout your project.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Conducting transcriptomic analyses (Iso-Seq, RNAseq) and disclose natural genetic variation in iconic Snowdrops
• Obtaining and analysis of phenotypic data via NPEC
• Modelling of phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to temperature dose
• Conduct a citizen science approach to collect snowdrop varieties needed for the project

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Laboratory of Nematology led by prof. Geert Smant. Your daily supervisor will be Dr. Mark Sterken, who has expertise on non-model species genetics and genomics. Work within the Wageningen team is supported by two technicians (for experimental work and bioinformatics) and within the group there are multiple PhD candidates. You will work closely together with the ‘temperature team’ of the Plant Stress Resilience group of Utrecht University, led by dr. Martijn van Zanten, where you will be hosted for the citizen science- and phenomics aspects of the project. Your research will be embedded in the Graduate school of Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS).