We are looking for a talented PhD candidate in the field of insect community ecology and/or insect behaviour. As a PhD candidate, you will unravel how diversity in space, time and genes enhances ecosystem services like resistance to insect herbivory. The overall aim of the research team is to identify whether diversity measures such as companion planting, mixed cropping and strip cropping benefit overall insect biodiversity, predator abundance and crop performance. While embedded in a long-term cropping systems experiment, your task is to focus on the insect community of cabbage, one of the crops in the experiment. You will identify the abundance of insect herbivores on cabbage in different planting schemes and study in detail the control of herbivores by natural enemies. Here you will study the host finding abilities of parasitoids and parasitization rates of caterpillars of the cabbage white butterflies. We will explicitly test whether addition of nectar plants or attractive accessions of cabbage enhances biological control of Pieris caterpillars in mixed cropping systems. To identify the underlying ecological processes, you will set up additional experiments in the field and laboratory. This may include, detailed studies on herbivore food plant preference as well as parasitoid host location behaviour in mixed cropping systems. There are ample opportunities to set your own research goals and to include approaches such as chemical ecology of multi-trophic interactions.

You are enthusiastic, like to work in a multidisciplinary team and have excellent communication skills. You hold an MSc degree in Biology or Plant Sciences with a specialization in Ecology or similar, and enjoy field ecology. We look for experience in community ecology, behavioural studies on insects and statistical analyses of multivariate datasets. You are curiosity driven and passionate about fundamental research in the context of working towards sustainable food production. This position requires an excellent English language proficiency (a mininum of CEFR C1 level). For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special language page.

We expect the candidate to be proficient in the English language. Within the Laboratory of Entomology, PhD students are encouraged to supervise MSc thesis students when such opportunities arise.

We offer a full-time position (38 hours), initially for 1 year after which a go/no go decision will be taken on extension with another three years. Gross salary per month € 2325,- in the first year rising to € 2972,- per month in the fourth year, for a fulltime appointment. The candidate will be based at the Laboratory of Entomology in Wageningen.

Wageningen University & Research

The Laboratory of Entomology of Wageningen University addresses the ecology of insects with a focus on understanding ecological phenomena in the context of the underlying mechanisms. At the Laboratory of Entomology the research teams consist of ambitious scientists and we aim at an interdisciplinary approach from cellular to community level to unravel biological phenomena underlying the functioning of plant-insect communities, insect vectored diseases, insect neurobiology and insects as food and feed. The Laboratory of Entomology is part of the Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen University and Research. The PhD position is embedded in the research team of Dr. Poelman. His team studies community ecology of plant-insect interactions and consists of ecologists, entomologists, molecular biologists and computational modellers. In the project on mixed cropping systems, the PhD candidate will be part of a larger team of PhDs, post-docs and staff of several Wageningen University and Research groups all contributing to the same goal of designing ecological intensive cropping systems that require no or low pesticide use. You will most closely collaborate with the cropdiversity team of Dirk van Apeldoorn at the Farming Systems Ecology group of Wageningen University and Research.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". Within Wageningen University & Research, nine specialised research institutes from the Wageningen Research Foundation and Wageningen University have joined forces to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With approximately 30 locations, 5,000 employees, and 10,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain worldwide. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of the unique approach of Wageningen.

For further information about working at Wageningen University & Research, take a look at thespecial career site.