Would you like to use your scientific background and project leadership skills and make a difference in the much needed food system transitions? Does your heart beat faster for applied research to solve societal challenges? We have a vacancy for researcher/project leader in food safety!

Multiple transitions are needed to achieve a sustainable, safe, affordable, trustworthy and high-quality food system in the next decade or two that will fulfil the needs of a diverse and growing world population. We need to transit to more circular food systems, shift the diet towards more sustainable proteins, and use new (bio) technologies in food production. These changes will have an impact on the current food system and on food safety. Food safety challenges might occur at new places in the supply chain and new hazards are expected.
You will be part of the Agrochains research team within Wageningen Food Safety Research that investigates the impact of different transitions on food safety aspects in the food supply chain.

What will you be doing

• You will use your broad scientific background in the area of food safety, food technology, or in a wide variety of multidisciplinary research projects. These can be collaborative research projects with colleagues working in the laboratory, with other research institutes in EU projects, research consortia with private partners or projects directly for the NVWA or our ministries.
• You will lead different scientific projects and thereby steer other project members in achieving high quality output within the project's requirements.
• You will write scientific papers and reports, interact with stakeholders to present research projects, and acquire new projects.
• Depending on your expertise and interest you lead and/or contribute to projects that for example aim to develop and implement risk-based monitoring approaches to determine what substances should be monitored in a circular food system, and/or assess the hazards of food production chains.
• Other topics you could work on in relation to food safety are biodiversity, seaweed production, pandemic preparedness, but also safe by design approaches and the use of genetic modification for food production.

We ask

• PhD in food safety, biosafety, food chemistry, toxicology, biotechnology, microbiology, or other relevant experience or MSc with a strong scientific track record and at least 5 years of professional experience within these fields.
• Proven project leadership skills with the ability to respond flexibly and effectively to circumstances outside and within the project to adapt the project plan if needed.
• A vision on future developments in our field of work and the ability to identify crucial issues and translate this into recommendations for the client and/or further research projects.
• Presentation and acquisition skills.
• Excellent scientific writing and speaking skills in English and preferably in Dutch as well.

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

• 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 hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• 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 4%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will of course receive a good salary. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between € 3.391,- and € 5.989,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 11 or scale 12).

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a multi-faceted 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 The Netherlands, 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

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! We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.