Benthos Researcher

Would you like to use your expertise for our research? Are you enterprising and does project-based work appeal to you and do you work well in a team? Then we have an interesting vacancy as a benthos researcher for you at Wageningen Marine Research!

The expectations of a successful candidate are:

• A benthic ecologist who can successfully deploy his or her expertise in research projects focusing on the benthic ecology of hard substrate communities. You will work in a team of experienced researchers on benthic ecology of reefs in the North Sea.
• You will be deployed to analyse and report the results of research into benthos communities near and on offshore oil and gas platforms, wind turbines, wrecks and natural reefs in the North Sea.
• You participate in experiments with benthic fauna in the lab and in the field, in the Wadden Sea and in the North Sea.
• You will also participate in field inventories performed by our scientific diving team and with other techniques such as remotely underwater vehicles (ROVs).
• Contributing to the acquisition of new research is also part of your tasks and you can also be deployed as project leader of (new) projects of limited size.
• In addition to writing project reports, you are expected to regularly publish the results of your research in scientific journals and to present them at conferences and symposia.

• A completed and relevant academic degree in the natural sciences or in the life sciences, for example an MSc. In Marine Biology.
• A PhD in the field relevant to this position is an advantage. 
• You also have a thorough knowledge of statistical analysis of large datasets with ecological information and you master the necessary techniques.
• You are experienced in conducting field research at sea. 
• If you already have a professional diving certificate (NL cat. A3 or UK HSE scuba), diving with our scientific diving team is possible.
• You are focused on collaboration, show initiative and you are result-oriented and show commitment to the client.
• You have shown that you are capable of presenting the results of your research in the form of scientific publications and/or presentations at conferences and/or symposia.
• You have a good knowledge of the English language and preferably also the Dutch language, both orally and in writing (level C1). Watch: Wageningen in’to Language

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

• working hours that can be determined in consultation, so that an optimal balance between work and private life is possible; partial working from home is possible;
• the possibility to build up extra holiday hours by working more, a maximum of 40 hours a week; 
• sabbatical leave, study leave and paid parental leave;
• much attention is paid to vitality;
• a structural year-end bonus of 4%;
• excellent pension scheme through ABP;
• the option of partially paid parental leave;
• the possibility to work part-time.

These excellent fringe benefits also come with an appropriate salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a salary in line with the market up to a maximum of € 4.624 for a full working week of 36 hours in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement Wageningen Research (scale 10/Hay profile WR researcher 4). You will be employed by a payroll organization and get a contract for one year. If you are performing well and sufficient work is available withing your work field and the institute as a whole, extension of your contract is possible.

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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 17th 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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief , known as the 30% ruling. 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 helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

For more information in relation to this vacancy you can contact Jakob Asjes, tel. +31 317 487067, e-mail [email protected] .

If 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 June 6th, 2022. The interviews are scheduled for
June 24th, 2022.

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. For more information please go to our inclusivity page . A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment .

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University and 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, 6.800 employees and 12.900 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

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

Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) is a leading, independent research institute that focuses on strategic and applied marine ecological research. The institute was established in 2006. Products and services are executed on a project basis (more than 400 research projects) and are diverse in nature: field research, experiments on a realistic scale, exploratory studies on lab scale, data management and modelling. The institute has modern research facilities and is ISO 9001 certified. Wageningen Marine Research is an organisational part of Wageningen University and Research.
For several years now, Wageningen Marine Research has been researching the ecology of benthic hard substrate communities that occur on foundations of wind turbines, oil and gas platforms, wrecks and natural reefs. Applied issues that play a role here are: what is the contribution of these communities to the biodiversity of the North Sea, what are the possibilities for nature restoration or stimulation measures with regard to these reefs, how do they develop over time, what is the effect on the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, are there any dangers with regard to the introduction of invasive species, etc. Based on research and monitoring and readily available ecological knowledge of these special habitats, we advise the government, wind farm developers, the oil and gas industry and other stakeholders with regard to the answers to this type of questions.

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