We are looking for a motivated academic teacher who will teach in bachelor and master level courses, supervise bachelor and master thesis’ and conduct research in animal behaviour and cognition. Moreover, you will supervise both bachelor and master level student research. You have your own research line in animal behaviour that can accommodate master and bachelor student research. For your own research you have 20% time. You will work in an enthusiastic academic team and will be part of the Animal Behaviour and Cognition (formerly Animal Ecology) group. Our vision is that cooperation and communication yield enhanced outcomes.

We welcome applications of enthusiastic and highly motivated candidates with a team player spirit. You also have 

• a PhD in animal behaviour and cognition, or related field;
• preferably you have experience working with primates or birds;
• experience in teaching and supervising at bachelor and master level;
• demonstrable affinity with teaching. Experience with education innovation is considered an advantage;
• a Basic Teaching Qualification or equivalent qualification in teaching skills is recommended. If deficient, we will ask that you obtain a Basis Teaching Qualification;
• fluent English proficiency (writing and speaking). Fluency in Dutch is preferred. If deficient, we would like for you to demonstrate that you will be able to communicate in Dutch within one year;
• knowledge of advanced statistics;
• your own research line in animal behaviour;
• the ability to teach animal behaviour incorporating the 4 why's of Tinbergen.

• we offer a temporary part-time position (0.8 FTE) for four years;
• a full-time gross salary per month - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranging from €2,790 to €5,127 (scale 10 – 11 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities);
• benefits including 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the employment conditions laid down in the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of additional arrangements. These include agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment yourself via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we like to encourage you to continue to grow.

More information about working at the Faculty of Science can be found at uu.nl/science/careers.

The Animal Behaviour and Cognition (formerly Animal Ecology) group conducts research on animal social behavior and cognition, in particular primates and birds. The Animal Behaviour and Cognition group has its own teaching line within the biology bachelor education and its own track Behavioural Ecology in the master Environmental Biology.

The Department of Biology consists of the Teaching Institute and 12 research groups with 290 employees. The research groups are organized in the Institute of Environmental Biology (IEB) and the Institute for Biodynamics and Biocomplexity (IBB). The Department of Biology is responsible for the Bachelor's programme Biology in which more than 300 students enroll annually. We are training more than 30% of all biology students in the Netherlands. Additionally, the Biology staff teaches in the Utrecht Biomedical Sciences’ Bachelor's and the Liberal Arts and Sciences Bachelor's of the University College Utrecht. Moreover, Biology is a pillar discipline of the new international interdisciplinary Bachelor's programme Molecular and Biophysical Life Sciences that will start coming September. Next to Bachelor's education, our Biology staff educates students in several Master's programmes.

The Teaching Institute of Biology is responsible for the curriculum and staffing of the Bachelor's programme Biology and its operational management. Furthermore, the institute is active in researching and implementing teaching innovations and is in close contact with the staff of the research groups that are responsible for the content of the courses of the Biology Bachelors.


At the Faculty of Science there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes which work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.

Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our familiar atmosphere and the can-do mentality of our people. This lively and inspiring academic environment attracts professors, researchers and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the University and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.