Research Assistant - Human Nutrition and Health

Are you the Research Assistant executing a Clinical Trial on the effect of Food Structure on Energy Intake and Metabolic profile. You will work at the crossroads of Human Nutrition, Sensory Science and Food Design at one of the most pressing nutritional issues of our society, i.e. the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity.  

As an enthousiastic Research Assistant you work in the context of the TKI-Agrifood funded project Restructure, and you will:

• Design and conduct a human nutrition intervention trial to investigate the role of food structure on eating rate/behavior, satiation,  energy intake and metabolic profile..

We are looking for someone with excellent organizational skills and affinity for both nutrition/eating behaviour and food technology. The Research Assistant will collaborate with a PhD fellow on the project, present this work on conferences and through scientific publications and supervise MSc students working on this topic.

• a university degree (MSc) in a relevant field (e.g., Nutrition and Health, Food Technology);
• affinity and demonstrable experience with experimental studies on eating behavior;
• good communication skills, good control of Dutch, English (both verbally and written);
• excellent organizational skills;
• experience or interest in mathematical modelling techniques;
• strong internal drive to excel and succeed.

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

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and 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 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 receive a Research Assistant position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 2471,- and €3336,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 7). We offer a temporary contract for 12 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well. If funding allows, we will transform the position to a PhD-fellowship.
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 16th 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.

Do you want more information?
For this position you can only apply on line. For more information about this position, please contact [email protected] or [email protected] . For more information about the procedure, please contact Marjolijn Steffens, Human Resource Manager, [email protected] or Neelke Hurkens, [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 August 31st 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 inclusive webpage . A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment .

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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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.

We are the Sensory Science and Eating Behavior Group at the Division of Human Nutrition and Health (https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Chair-groups/Agrotechnology-and-Food-Sciences/Human-Nutrition-and-Health/About-us.htm )  and the Food Quality and Design group  of the Food Science Cluster at Wageningen University and Research (https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Chair-groups/Agrotechnology-and-Food-Sciences/Food-Quality-and-Design-1.htm

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.