Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant-Fungal Interactions (ERC Advanced Grant DIGDEEP)

Are you passionate about plant–microbe interactions and eager to push the frontiers of biodiversity and disease ecology? We are looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join our international team on the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant project DIGDEEP. This project investigates how plant diversity shapes the spread and impact of soil-borne diseases, aiming to unravel the mechanisms behind diversity–disease relationships in grassland ecosystems.

As a postdoc in DIGDEEP, you will take the lead on the fungal side of the project, designing and carrying out cutting-edge experiments to explore the complex interplay between plant root systems, pathogenic fungi, and beneficial symbionts. This is an exciting opportunity to combine controlled experiments with molecular tools to address fundamental questions in ecology with real-world relevance for sustainable ecosystems.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading research on plant–fungal interactions, with a focus on soil-borne pathogens
• Designing and performing bioassays to assess susceptibility and competence of diverse plant species to fungal pathogens.
• Conducting mesocosm experiments to disentangle the effects of plant species richness and host quality on disease risk.
• Applying molecular techniques to quantify fungal abundance and diversity in large-scale biodiversity experiments.
• Co-supervising PhD students, particularly supporting them with molecular and fungal expertise.
• Leading and supporting the development of scientific papers in relevant peer-review journals

The team
You will be an integral part of the ‘root ecology’ team led by Prof. Dr. Liesje Mommer. In this team, which is embedded in the Forest Ecology and Forest Management group, senior and junior researchers and students collaborate in projects on plant-fungal interactions and root trait ecology. Your work will be supported by the Molecular Ecology team of Prof. Raaijmakers at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO), which is also located on the Wageningen Campus. The ultimate goal of the DIGDEEP project is to deliver fundamental knowledge on diversity-disease relationships in plants to facilitate diversification of cropping systems. Such innovation contributes to developing sustainable agricultural systems, and to goals related to producing healthier food and restoring biodiversity. Therefore, we will also be collaborating and creating knowledge with stakeholders, such as agronomists and breeders.

You bring:

• A PhD in plant–microbe interactions, fungal ecology, plant pathology, or a related field.
• Proven experience with plant–fungal bioassays and molecular techniques (e.g. DNA extraction, qPCR, sequencing) applied to microbial communities.
• Skills in designing and executing experiments is a pre, especially in ecological contexts.
• A collaborative and proactive mindset, with the ability to support and guide junior researchers.
• Excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken).

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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.546,- and € 5.538,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended for 2 more years on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

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. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs 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”. 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, 7,600 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 the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below 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.