Tenure Track Bacterial Plant Pathogens

We are looking for

Are you passionate about bacterial plant pathogens? Are you motivated to establish a multidisciplinary bacterial research program? Are you keen to further develop yourself and excel in teaching? Do you have a relevant PhD? Then this position could be a perfect fit for you!
Teaching is our core business at the Laboratory of Phytopathology. We educate bachelor, master and PhD students, and we do this collectively.
Information about the subject:
Our current research portfolio mainly revolves around fungi and oomycetes. We plan to extend this portfolio with a research program focused on bacteria. As plant pathogens, bacteria can be devastating, and they are extremely difficult to control. Understanding bacterial lifestyles and their interactions with other microbial species to create niches in soil and host plants are rapidly developing fields of study. 

In addition to exploring single bacterium-host interactions, we are also very interested in modulating the microbial complexity to support plant health.
This new member of the team at the Laboratory of Phytopathology is a scientist with expertise in bacterial plant pathogens, and has a strong motivation to establish a multidisciplinary bacterial research program.

The candidate will be placed in a Tenure Track trajectory and should fulfill the requirements established by Wageningen University for this position concerning scientific publications, project acquisition, and educational activities.

In this challenging career trajectory:

• You acquire, lead and
  implement, together with the chair holder and other staff members, innovative and creative (inter-)national research projects for our group;
• You collaborate with your colleagues and supervise PhD students, BSc and MSc thesis students, and you develop and teach courses;
• You contribute to the further development of the Laboratory of Phytopathology. 

The WUR

Tenure Track

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

We ask

• a PhD in phytopathology, (molecular) plant-microbe interactions, and strong expertise in bacterial genetics, (molecular) ecology, and evolution
• a good record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed international journals;
• relevant teaching experience;
• excellent English language proficiency (a minimum of CEFR C2 level). For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special language page .

We offer

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

• a 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-private life balance;
• the option to accrue additional flexible 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%;
• an 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 the criteria elaborated in the University's Tenure Track policy, can lead to a permanent employment contract as a professor. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross starting salary of between € 3.746,- and € 5.127,- 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 The Netherlands, 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 center 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 new international employees. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for 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 additional advice and information about helping your partner find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

More information

For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Gert Kema, by phone at +31(0) 317.480632 or by email at [email protected]
For more information about the procedure, please contact Ine van’t Land, recruiter, by phone at +31317483096 or email at [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 July – August, 2022. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in week 36.
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 organization 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 functional impairment .

We are

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, 7.200 employees and 13.200 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 the best university of the Netherlands by students for the 17th time in a row.

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

Laboratory of Phytopathology
Information about the Laboratory of Phytopathology and the team you can find at www.phytowur.nl.

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