Are you looking for a PhD position in the area of analyzing economic opportunities of underutilized crops in Europe?

Niche or "forgotten" crops, such as traditional fruit trees and old varieties of e.g. tomato, maize and barley, create possibilities for alternative production systems with greater agrobiodiversity and increased demand for local and organic products. However, the impact of adopting underutilized crops on farm and value chain profits and risks is still uncertain. This PhD research will analyze profitability and risk at crop and farm level and will explore whether farm and value chains working with underutilized crops are better able to deal with disruptions such as droughts, virus outbreaks and trade disputes when compared to traditional crops. The research will also assess value added along the chain including a fair distribution of profits along chain partners. Improved knowledge on economic and risk implications is expected to boost adoption of underutilized crops in European production systems and value chains.

The research is part of an interdisciplinary EU-project (RADIANT). This provides ample opportunities to cooperate with researchers of other universities and to work with case study farm data and value chains who already (partly) use underutilized crops. You will be appointed at the Business Economics group.

• a university degree (MSc) in a discipline relevant to the PhD project (e.g. agricultural economics, business economics, supply chain management, business administration, agricultural science, bioscience engineering, plant science);
• knowledge of quantitative methods (e.g. economic modelling, stochastic simulation, multivariate statistics);
• knowledge of qualitative methods (e.g. structured interviews, focus groups);
• openness and willingness to collaborate with people from other scientific disciplines;
• clear scientific ambition in the conduct and publication of research work;
• good control of English (both verbally and written);
• a social, critical and positive learning attitude towards achieving excellence;
• affinity with agriculture is an advantage.

We offer a challenging, multi-disciplinary and future oriented research project, embedded in a stimulating scientific and stakeholder environment.
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 fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team. The gross salary for the first year is € 2.395,- per month rising to € 3.061,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. In principle this is a 48 month PhD position. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended with 30 months if you perform well.

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.

Wageningen University & Research

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, 6.800 employees and 12.900 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 Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

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