Do you have a strong affiliation with pig vitality, health protection management, sensoring and a sustainable food system and do you like to work in multidisciplinary teams? Then we might be looking for you!

We are looking for an inspiring researcher that is willing to invest in the topic of monitoring animal health and welfare with sensor data. This will be done in close cooperation with different partners in the pork supply chain.

Your research aims to understand how to translate current (and future) consumer requirements for a responsible pork supply chain into effective and efficient farm management. And how the supply chain is able to show these requirements are effectively implemented and assured.

• A master in animal health, veterinary medicine or related field;
• Demonstrable expertise in livestock health and welfare
• Strong affiliation with resilience and health protection management
• Expertise in sensor technology and data handling/modelling;
• Willing to contribute to the acceleration of the transition of Dutch livestock farming to a healthy and sustainable food system;
• Good organizational and excellent communication skills;
• The ability to work in multidisciplinary teams;
• The ability to design and conduct applied scientific research;
• An interest in analyses of large data sets
• A proactive attitude, you can work independently as well as in a team and you can communicate pleasantly and effectively with people from different backgrounds and with different expertise;
• In addition to English, Dutch is a pre.

Key competences: pro-active, collaborative, flexible, client, quantitative and result oriented.

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

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially 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 compensation / 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 € 2.434,- per month rising to € 3.111,- 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. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project 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 17th 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.

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 organisation 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 a functional impairment.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research



The mission of Wageningen University & 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!

The Department Animal Health and Welfare is an enthusiastic team of about 40 employees working on innovation, research and knowledge exchange. Many research challenges have an interdisciplinary character and concern major themes like reduction of antibiotic usages, one health, animal welfare, transport, responsible livestock farming and animal health. The department works on welfare and health of cattle, swine, poultry and fish, and on smart livestock farming with sensor technology and big data analysis.

Wageningen Livestock Research develops knowledge for a sustainable and profitable livestock sector, translates this into practice-oriented solutions and innovations, and ensures that this knowledge is disseminated. Together with our clients, and on the basis of practical experience, we integrate our scientific know-how in the areas of livestock systems and of the nutrition, genetics, welfare and environmental impact of farm animals to produce livestock concepts for the 21st century.