Do you see a role for innovative computer science research in developing a healthy and sustainable society? Then we are looking for you!

• Consumers make daily decisions about what to eat - or not to eat. What is healthy depends on the characteristics of the person themselves, and their recent food consumption. Our research models knowledge from scientific literature, data on what food products contain, expert knowledge from dieticians, personal characteristics such as allergies, and measurements of the food intake of a specific consumer. How can we bring all this knowledge together in a model and use it for automated, well-founded advice?
• The global population is threatened with a shortage of protein for human consumption. At the same time, optimal use is not being made of resources that contain protein. How can big data and knowledge models help to draw up the different scenarios and calculate their effects, thereby helping to optimise future protein supplies?

These are examples of questions we are working on.

We are looking for a researcher who can think and model on a conceptual level, and who can also, as project manager, successfully carry out a research project for our clients.

You apply your expertise in a practical setting to ask the right questions and to create the necessary structure. Think for example of modelling expert knowledge and data to detect potential food health risks in the international dairy supply chain. For this, you need to be able to handle multi-lingual data, unclear and missing information in poorly structured data sources. It is important to be able to improvise, and to keep asking questions until you reach the heart of the matter. In this way, you work on an innovative solution that helps the client, mostly in the form of software. A good example of our work is the development of a webapp with which people with an acquired brain injury can cook independently. The challenge in this case is to capture implicit recipe and preparation knowledge in an explicit logical model: a surprisingly complex problem.

As a conceptual modeller, you have good analytical skills. You have the critical and creative attitude of a researcher, but also keep an eye on what design choices mean for the user. For this reason, the ability to communicate and listen well is a necessary requirement. You can also express yourself well in writing, both to clients and in scientific publications.

As a project manager, you speak the language of our client, and work with your team on innovative solutions that can be applied in practice. You are in continual contact with the client and maintain an enthusiastic and efficient multidisciplinary project team to translate questions into concrete solutions.

With us, you get the chance to learn many new things, and to make a personal contribution to innovative projects. We expect that you can function well both independently and in a team, in many projects simultaneously. This requires flexibility and a focus on solutions.

An enthusiastic and ambitious Scientist/Project manager Conceptual Modelling, with

• a university degree in computer science, mathematics, artificial intelligence or similar, preferably a PhD,
• enthusiasm for working on innovative solutions for practical questions in the area of sustainable supply chains and healthy food
• demonstrable experience with conceptual modelling,
• demonstrable experience with project management,
• interest in developments in ICT, both societal and scientific,
• affinity for publishing research results,
• affinity for carrying out national and international projects,
• knowledge of technologies for knowledge representation and semantic data modelling,
• an independent attitude but also team spirit,
• a sociable personality with an ability to put things into perspective,
• a constant drive to improve yourself and the team.

A job at a commercial organisation that will challenge you every day to provide our clients with the best possible solution. As Scientist/Project manager Conceptual Modelling, you will be part of an ambitious team working on a wide range of issues with plenty of scope for initiative. Personal input and responsibility are an integral part of our culture.

We offer a temporary position with an average working time of 36 hours per week. The contract is initially for the period of 1 year, with the possibility of a permanent employment contract in the future. Gross salary is € 4847,- maximum per month. We not only offer a competitive salary but also good (study) leave and a pension of the ABP Pension Fund.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research develops insights and technologies that support industries, governments, and research institutes to create innovative solutions for a healthier, more sustainable, and prosperous world. Together with our clients we develop healthy and tasty food, truly-sustainable food chains, and chemicals and materials that use biomass instead of fossil resources. Our in-depth knowledge of the entire chain, from raw materials through processing to end product, drives our approach.

We make smart connections between various disciplines to explore complex issues from different perspectives. Through a combination of intelligent analyses and pragmatic invention, we find solutions for these issues. Grounded in science and business, our researchers bring a no-nonsense attitude to their work. We investigate and develop at all stages: upscaling from lab to pilot and from initial idea to production processes that deliver real products for our customers. We have direct access to the latest scientific findings and have a firm grasp of what modern technology offers. Every day, we work with national and global companies, governments and other research institutes to create innovative solutions; now and in the future.

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is one of the Contract Research Organizations of Wageningen University & Research, with the aim to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. With approximately 30 locations, 5,000 members of staff and 10,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is a world leader in its domain. An integral way of working, and cooperation between the exact sciences and the technological and social disciplines are key to its approach. For further information about Wageningen Food & Biobased Research: www.wur.eu/wfbr.

For further information about working at Wageningen University & Research, take a look at www.wur.nl/en/Jobs.htm

Acquisition regarding this vacancy is not appreciated.