Do you want to work in an environment where you can contribute to a sustainable future?
Are you looking for a job where you have the space to work on your personal and professional development on your employer's time? Then this traineeship for researcher integrated bioprocesses developer might be just what you're looking for. We are offering you an opportunity to work and learn at the same time.

As a trainee, you will work at the Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (WFBR) institute at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and also be given time and space to develop your professional and personal skills. At WFBR, we conduct research in a range of domains with the aim of developing socially responsible solutions to various problems, such as biodegradable plastic or solutions for healthy and sustainable food. That's our story. But what about yours?

Your profile:

• you have a curious mind and a wide range of interests;
• you have a proactive attitude and good organisational skills;
• you feel driven to make a meaningful contribution to our society;
• you enjoy putting scientific research into practice.

How does a traineeship at WFBR work?
Individuals who choose to do a traineeship are ambitious and want to grow. If you want to achieve your ambitions, it is important to know what drives you and how to manage your strengths, abilities and weaknesses. During the study and training programme, we focus on the content (during theme days and workshops) and the development of your competences. In addition to centrally organised training courses, peer review sessions, activities and coaching, we also offer opportunities for individual training that is tailored to your needs.

Starting from 1 April 2023, you will spend two years at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research learning and working at the same time. You will join an expert team of experienced specialists and work alongside them as a full member of the team on multidisciplinary projects for the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and private-sector clients that have connections to food and biomaterials.

You will also form a team with other fellow trainees from different backgrounds. Your first point of contact is your manager, who will help you to work on your personal and professional growth. But you will also form a team with other fellow trainees from different backgrounds. Along with these other trainees, you will discover yourself and the institute, as well as devise, carry out and present new multidisciplinary research. Our training courses, projects, team assignments and professional network will give you perspective on your personal and professional development, laying the foundation for a flying start in your field. You will be given both the freedom and responsibility to pursue your own path in this development process.

Your Job
One of the trainee positions is for an integrated bioprocesses developer. In this role, you help develop new integrated biobased processes, such as lactate-fermentation with integrated concentration and purification, on a project basis.
The economic feasibility of this and many other bioconversion processes is partly determined by the titer achieved during the fermentation process and the additional costs of dewatering and reprocessing.

As a trainee, you will work with specialists from the Microbial Cell factories expertise group and the Separation & Purification expertise group to develop an integrated and efficient process that includes both conversion and separation. You will also identify, test and evaluate technological options by conducting desk research and designing laboratory experiments for validation and upscaling. You will ensure the economic feasibility throughout these processes and conclude the project with a techno-economic assessment (TEA).

WHO ARE YOU?
As an ambitious MSc graduate, you have at least one year of work experience and hold the following qualifications:

• a university master's degree obtained before 1 March 2023 in a relevant field (nature, the environment, plant and animal systems, economics, data science or social sciences);
• experience with fermentation technology, bioprocess technology, chemical technology, or food technology;
• experience with project management;

Personal characteristics:

• you want to make a difference and contribute to a better world by developing knowledge through applied research with stakeholders;
• you have an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset;
• you are implementation-oriented and adaptable;
• you work well in a team and have strong communication skills;
• you speak Dutch and English at C1 (CERF) level or higher.

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 at least €2.949,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed.

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 Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the "Best University" in the Netherlands for the 18th 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.
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. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR's Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

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.