The Health & Society Group lectures and develops knowledge and expertise on public health, health promotion and health protection. It does so in resource poor and resource rich contexts, while taking into account the varied roles of actors and social institutions in advancing health and wellbeing.

The Chair Group specifically focuses on:

• Understanding health practices
  The mechanisms underlying health development through people - environment (social, natural, built) interaction, and the influence thereof on sustainable health development;
• Supportive environments
  Settings where people live their everyday life - such as families, schools, workplaces, communities, cities, and health care settings and which offer protection from factors that threaten good health. Special attention is paid to social-spatial and environmental (in)justice and (in)equalities;
• Facilitating health development processes
  The design, implementation and evaluation of health promoting strategies. This includes developing frameworks for coordinated action, citizen participation and citizen science.
  
  As the new Chair you will further advance the Group's innovative research and education programme. You will acquire research funding and teach and supervise students and PhD candidates. You will develop an internationally leading research programme, drawing on and further advancing the current team. You are capable and interested to encourage, advance and combine different theoretical and methodological research traditions, and develop a focused and shared mission and vision with the Group. You are able to further strengthen the Chair Group's profile in national and international networks, as well as effectively and constructively lead and manage the Group.

• you hold a PhD degree in sociology, health promotion or a health-related social science discipline;
• you have profound knowledge of the field of public health and health and society;
• you are experienced in connecting social and natural sciences disciplines;
• you have a proven scientific track record with publications of recognised international quality;
• you can present a vision for future research, education and societal impact for the domain of health and society;
• you have an inspiring and collegial, leadership style with a passion to build teams and create synergy;
• you have a proven track record of acquiring, leading and managing externally-funded research projects;
• you are an inspiring teacher and supervisor, with the ability to develop and innovate courses at Bachelor, Master, and PhD level;
• You can build connections and collaborations within and outside WUR.
  

You will be working for an international oriented organisation with research projects all over the world. We offer you a challenging position as full professor and chair of Health & Society. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a number of additional benefits, such as an end-of-year- extra month's salary, a holiday allowance and a pension plan with the Dutch pension fund for government and education. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, by which 30% of their salary is exempt from tax. You can find more information here: https://www.wur.nl/en/Jobs/Moving-to-the-Netherlands.htm

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the centre for research and entrepreneurship on Food, Health and the Living environment. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world. The historic university town of about 36,000 residents is centrally located in the Netherlands, and its academic community from more than 100 countries gives the town a lively, international feel. The university's highly qualified team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. A specialised staffing agency will help your partner to find a job. The Wageningen University & Research's International Community page (https://www.wur.nl/en/International-students-and-staff.htm) contains practical information about what we do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen.

Equal opportunities employer
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. Furthermore, given our active policy to be as inclusive as possible as organization, we warmly invite international and female scholars to apply.

Wageningen University & Research

Delivering a substantial contribution to the quality of life. That's our focus - each and every single day. Within our domain of good and safe food & food production, food security and a healthy living environment, we search for answers to issues affecting society - such as sustainable food production, climate change and a healthy living. With 5,500 people we work on 'the quality of life', turning ideas into reality, on a global scale.
A strong dedication to teaching and fundamental research, combined with innovative applied research, builds a rich learning environment. Our students, the innovators of tomorrow, also benefit from first-class research and educational facilities.

Could you be one of these people? We give you the space you need.

The scientific quality of Wageningen University is affirmed by the prominent position we occupy in international rankings and citation indexes. Dutch students have been voting Wageningen University & Research as the best university in the Netherlands for fourteen years in a row.

The Chair Group Health and Society (HSO) is composed of 5 tenured and tenure-track scientific staff, 3 lecturers, 2 research and teaching assistants, 3 support staff and about 11 PhD candidates. HSO is part of the department of Social Sciences within our University. The Department provides social sciences research and academic education on the domains of Wageningen University: Food, environment, health, and agriculture. With its emphasis on health and society, the Group is well positioned to collaborate with other food, environmental and social sciences groups. The HSO group participates together with the Cultural Geography Group, the Rural Sociology Group and the Sociology of Development and Change Group in the Centre for Space, Place and Society.