Assistant professorship (tenure track) in electrically driven separations in food engineering

Your job

As part of a structural investment and expansion in the Food Process Engineering Chair group at Wageningen University, we have a vacancy for an Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in our team, with an expertise in separation technology.

Harvested crops are generally subjected to separation or fractionation into ingredients, which are then used to prepare foods. The position will aim at a new class of separation and fractionation technologies using electrical driving forces, which will allow significant reduction of energy and water use, make better use of our harvested crops, and help us retain the quality of the ingredients to enhance the nutritional quality of our future foods.

For the development of this field, we look for a talented process engineer, with an interest in electrical phenomena and/or electrically driven processes. The ideal candidate has a PhD degree plus experience in food processing, or chemical or mechanical engineering with a PhD on a related subject.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• research in the field of electrically driven separation/fractionation processes. The position will involve experimental and modelling work, so experience and affinity with both experimentation and modelling would be beneficial.  We will support and expect the candidate to set up a research team within the Food Process Engineering Chair group on international level and importance, developing collaborations within and outside of the Chair group and Wageningen;
• education on BSc, MSc and PhD level, in the area of food process engineering, in collaboration with other scientists of the Chair group;
• contribution to the overall management and activities of the research group.

The position will be a so-called tenure track, implying that with good performance, the position can become permanent, and offer a predefined path towards future promotion, from assistant professor, to associate professor and beyond. In this process, amply coaching and supervision is provided, plus a multi-year program on professional and personal development.

In this challenging career trajectory:

• you initiate, acquire, lead and implement inspiring, innovative and creative research projects in name of the chair group, and in this process develop a network of national and international collaborations;
• you collaborate with colleagues and supervise PhD students, and BSc and MSc students and you develop and teach courses on all three levels;
• you contribute to the further development of the Food Process Engineering chair group, and will be involved in the short- and long-term decision making processes of the chair group;

Tenure Track

is a career path for scientists who pursue to excel in education and research. We seek to attract scientific talent and to stimulate and support their development.

Your qualities

• we look for a talented process engineer, with interest in electrical phenomena and/or electrically driven processes. The ideal candidate has a PhD plus experience in food processing, or chemical or mechanical engineering with a PhD on a related subject. Experience and affinity with modelling is appreciated;
• while the position will offer the possibility to acquire the Universal Teach Qualification, relevant and well-evaluated teaching experience will be appreciated;
• we look for someone with ambition to build and lead a team within a large academic group, developing collaborations within and outside of the chair group. The candidate should be open for and motivated by setting up a network on the national and international level;
• proficiency in the English language is a prerequisite, as all research and education is done in the English language. We expect the candidate to have C1 or C2 level proficiency.

We offer you

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

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and 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.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will be offered a fixed-term, 7 year contract which, upon positive evaluation based on criteria elaborated in the University's Tenure Track policy, can lead to a permanent employment contract as professor. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 4332,- and € 5929,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours in accordance with the

Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU)

(scale 11).

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. 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.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling.

Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Remko Boom, chairholder, by e-mail: [email protected] .

For more information about the procedure, please contact Rutger Voorrips, corporate recruiter, by e-mail: [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 the 3rd of March 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews shortly after the closing date.

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

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.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair group Food Process Engineering (www.fpe.wur.nl ) which is chaired by prof. R.M. Boom ((Remko Boom | LinkedIn ). This chair group is a large and internationally leading research group with 9 other scientists (from assistant to full professors), 7 technicians, 4 supporting staff, between 50 – 60 PhD students and 5 – 10 postdocs. You will work as an independent scientist withing this large team, develop your own group, and report directly to the chair holder.
The group has an extensive experimental infrastructure, and has strong expertise in understanding food materials, in the development of new types of separation and fractionation processes, and processes to structure ingredients in complex food matrices, such as powders, emulsion based foods, and meat and dairy analogues. In the past 15 years the group has consistently been assessed as excellent in all aspects.

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.