Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is recruiting a Full Professor to lead the chair group of Infectious Disease Epidemiology (IDE), the new name of the current Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology (QVE) group. As chair you are responsible for the research, education, and operational management, including finances and HR.

The chair group IDE contributes to animal and human health by providing understanding and quantification of the dynamics of infections within and between animal and human populations. The group does this by developing mathematical models and confront them with data derived from the field or from experiments. This supports better control and management of infectious diseases, including preparedness for global challenges posed by pandemics and emerging pathogens.

The research field of IDE is developing fast. Zoonotic and multi-host infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and Avian Influenza require novel approaches that capture the complexity of its transmission dynamics. Therefore, there is momentum for the group to adopt novel approaches, grow in the research field, size and impact and increase teaching. We are looking for a chair to facilitate this growth.

• You are a scholar with a PhD degree and an internationally proven scientific track record in the field of infectious disease dynamics within animal populations or at the human-animal interface, or a related field;
• You have the experience and skills to turn long term ideas into concrete plans; especially to facilitate and support the growth and development in research and education;
• You have proven experience and success in attracting funding in a (inter)national context;
• You have experience in developing and maintaining a broad (inter)national network with different partners (e.g. academic institutes, societal organizations, policymakers, private sector);
• You have a passion for, and ample experience in, BSC, MSc and PhD education and in the individual supervision of students, PhDs and staff;
• You have experience in leading professionals in a multidisciplinary team. You bring empathic and inclusive leadership with a focus on people’s development, team building and creating synergy;
• You have experience in representing and communicating the research subject area to the wider community and contributing to the societal debate, for example through appearances in the media.

You will be working for an inspiring international organization with many interdisciplinary projects all over the world. The scientific quality of Wageningen University is affirmed by the prominent position we occupy in international rankings and citation indices.

We offer you a position as Full Professor of the Chair Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Besides a competitive salary (maximum gross salary for starting chair holders is € 9.680,- per month), we offer a number of additional benefits, such as an end-of-year extra month’s salary, a holiday allowance and a pension plan with the Dutch pension fund for government and education. International candidates moving to the Netherlands may benefit from a special tax relief, by which a part of their salary is exempt from tax for 5 years. Working hours can be discussed to optimize the work-life balance (32-38 hours per week)

Coming from abroad
We are a globally leading university in the life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen University, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

The university’s highly qualified team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. A specialized agency will assist your partner during the job search. Furthermore, we can assist you in finding schools for your kids and assist you with finding housing in the region or elsewhere in the Netherlands.

Wageningen University & Research

The chair group Infectious Disease Epidemiology (IDE)
IDE consists of 7 scientific staff members, 22 PhD candidates and a secretariat. Each year around 10 students complete a master thesis within the group. IDE has strong ties with Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) and the ‘Gezondheidsdienst voor Dieren’ (Royal GD), through shared research projects and staff members (special professors). IDE relies on these institutes for data collection.

The chair group IDE is part of the graduate school Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences (WIAS). The chair group IDE is one of the 11 chair groups of the department of Animal Sciences (ASG). Collaborations within and outside the department are based on complimentary expertise either on specific traits or disciplines. Examples of collaborations in the last two years are publications with Animal Breeding and Genomics, Marine Animal Ecology, Aquaculture and Fisheries, Business Economics, the Laboratory of Entomology, the Laboratory of Virology, the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation group. For an overview of the department structure of Wageningen University, see here

More information on the IDE group (currently still named QVE) can be found here

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 specialized 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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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 more on 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.