Do you have a passion for mushrooms, and would you like to become a world leading expert in cultivation and breeding of mushrooms for food and novel applications? Joining the dynamic and growing Mushroom Research Group of Wageningen University and Research offers you a unique opportunity to do this.

With a long history in mushroom research and embedded within the department of Plant Breeding at WUR, the research of the group revolves around improvements of fungi for food and non-food applications. Close collaboration within WUR and interactions with other academic, international, and commercial partners provide a unique position for the initiation of strategic research and development of key future technologies. In this setting we have a position, with the intention to become permanent, for a research-project leader and developer who is keen on operating at the interface of academics and industry.

Are you a person that enjoys to:

• Define and start new strategic research projects that align with the Mushroom Research Group’s mission to use mushroom fungi to improve society;
• Integrate new knowledge and technology, especially on cultivation, solid state fermentation, screening, and breeding of fungi;
• Maintain and grow a vibrant network within the national and international mushroom industry;
• Balance fundamental research with applied research questions from partners.

In that case we welcome you to join the Mushroom Research Group. You are going to work in a closely collaborating team of 6 permanent professionals and usually 2-3 PhD & MSc students. We maintain strong connections between members and supporting each other is a key value, as only our combined expertise enables successful performance of our projects. We closely collaborate with our 130+ colleagues (~50 PhD students) in Plant Breeding, of which we are one of the 10 teams. Plant Breeding is located at the Wageningen Campus where our labs and mushroom cultivation facility are located, and where we share offices.

For this unique position we ask:

• A PhD in fungal biology preferably related to solid state fermentation, or a PhD in microbiology related to solid state fermentation
• Basic knowledge on microbial genetics
• Critical thinking and ability to translate questions from industry into new research.
• Enthusiasm for and the capability to acquire new collaborations (projects) at the interface of academics and industry.
• Demonstrated independent research abilities (e.g., completed postdoc / project managing position)
• Excellent communication and academic reporting abilities in Dutch and English, or else commitment to learn Dutch soon
• A driver’s license valid for Europe, or commitment to obtain a driver’s license

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 € 3.527,- and € 6.229,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 11-12). You will initially receive a two-year contract, which will be extended to an open-ended contract upon in mutual enthusiasm.

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.

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, 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.

Plant Breeding is a merger of a Wageningen University chairgroup and a Wageningen Research business unit, and we are active in fundamental and strategic research, in teaching at MSc and PhD level and in custom-made courses, and in breeding. This position is at Wageningen Research.

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.