PhD position: Advanced analytical approaches to study Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in the food chain

Do you consider the availability of safe food as one of the great challenges of our era? Are you eager to take on the challenge of improving analytical techniques in the plant toxin field using state-of-the-art measurement systems such as LC-(HR)MS? This might be the next step for you!

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a large and structurally diverse class of plant-derived toxins, with over 600 known members. These compounds pose a significant risk to food safety, yet their full characterization remains a major analytical challenge due to their chemical complexity and natural variability.
In this PhD project, you will develop and apply cutting-edge analytical chemistry techniques to tackle this challenge. Using both targeted and non-targeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), you will explore the occurrence, diversity, and transformation of PAs in food matrices.

Your research will involve:

• developing sensitive and selective LC-MS methods using deuterated internal standards, synthesized within the project by a collaborating PhD student;
• designing smart sampling strategies to capture PA diversity in plant-derived foods;
• investigating the fate of PAs during food processing (e.g., baking), and identifying transformation and degradation products using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and advanced data-processing tools.

This project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to food safety through innovation in analytical chemistry, within a multidisciplinary and collaborative research environment.

You will work here
The project is a part of Open Technology grant for our proposal COre-based PYrrolizydine alkaloid synthesis for Contaminant Annotation and Tracking (COPY-CAT). The research is embedded within the group of Dr. Laura Righetti and Dr. Gert Salentijn, located in the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry (Organic Chemistry - WUR), which is headed by Prof. Han Zuilhof. You will be supervised by Dr. Laura Righetti and Dr. Gert Salentijn with support by the other team members Prof. Han Zuilhof and Dr. Fedor Miloserdov. The PhD project is a collaboration with Wageningen Food Safety Research, Mass Analytica and a research stay at Barilla (Italy) is planned as a part of the project. The work will be happening in close collaboration with a second PhD student, working in the field of organic chemistry and supervised primarily by Dr. Fedor Miloserdov.

• a successfully completed MSc degree in (bio)analytical chemistry, food chemistry, food safety or related area;
• complementary to or as a part of your MSc, you have a strong interest and demonstrable skills in analytical chemistry, preferably mass spectrometry. Knowledge of instrumental residue analysis of (plant) toxins is preferred;
• you have excellent communication skills, both oral and written;
• a critical scientific attitude, strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• ready to collaborate and work as a part of bigger team;
• ready to work in a multicultural and a multidisciplinary environment.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

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

• partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• 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 year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 2.901,- per month rising to € 3.707,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands 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. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’.

We pursue this mission through a synergistic approach between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation (applied research). Our research focuses on questions within the domains of food, living environment, and society. With approximately 30 locations, 7,700 staff members, 2,500 PhD candidates, and over 13,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is among the world’s leading knowledge institutions in its domain. The integral approach to challenges and the collaboration across various disciplines form the core of the unique Wageningen approach.

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 and do not appreciate unasked for services from recruitment agencies. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.