PhD position pig nutrition and emission of methane, odour and ammonia

Your job

In the Netherlands, pig production is economically significant but also contributes to unwanted gaseous emissions like ammonia, odour, and methane . These emissions have an effect on climate change and biodiversity, but they also have a local effect on the air quality in and around the barn, affecting animal and human health. Feeding strategies and dietary interventions may help to reduce both enteric formation and emission from the manure and improve air quality, but a better understanding of the relationship between diet composition, fermentation processes and production of noxious gaseous compounds is required. The efficacy of novel interventions and their overall impact on health and environment need to be determined, to contribute to a more sustainable pig production.

As a PhD candidate in this line of research you will contribute to the reduction of gaseous emissions in the pig sector by improving our knowledge regarding the origin of emissions, their impact on animal heath, and potential innovations to reduce these emissions. You will have the opportunity to specify your research objectives within this broad research area, depending on your background and research interests.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Study scientific literature to further develop research goals and hypotheses;
• collaborate with technical experts to develop monitoring systems for air quality;
• design and manage experiments to study effects of nutritional interventions;
• collect and analyse research data;
• present work in project meetings and (scientific) conferences;
• write scientific publications and a PhD thesis.

You will work here

The research is embedded within

Wageningen Livestock Research

, the departments of Animal Nutrition and Emissions and Manure Valorisation. Because of the multidisciplinary approach, we cooperate with other Wageningen Research institutes with relevant expertise. Depending on your interest and background the involved chairgroup will be chosen.

Your qualities

You are an enthusiastic MSc graduate with an interest in pig production. You are eager to learn and discover new ideas that can lead to a more sustainable animal production sector. You are proactive and enthusiastic to participate in a multidisciplinary research program, where you can bring your expertise to a team with various disciplines combining biosystems engineering with animal nutrition and health.

You also possess:

• A successfully completed MSc degree in Animal Sciences, Biosystems Engineering or equivalent;
• good communication and organizational skills;
• basic knowledge of statistical analysis;
• experience in performing a scientific study.

For

this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level

, while proficiency in Dutch is an advantage. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found

here .
We offer you

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment . A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 2.770 - per month rising to € 3.539,-  in the fourth year in according to the

Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU)

(scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 4 years which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University ” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Roselinde Goselink, teamleader animal nutrition, by e-mail [email protected] .
For more information about the procedure, please contact Dax Teunissen, corporate recruiter [email protected].

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including April 1st, 2024. 

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment .

We are

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.