Fisheries Innovation Researcher

In this role, you will translate knowledge needs from practice and policy into concrete research questions and project plans. You will acquire and manage new research projects – primarily medium-sized ones – to strengthen and, where possible, expand the fisheries innovation research portfolio.

Your main tasks and responsibilities as a researcher include:

• Maintaining networks within the fisheries sector, government, and other relevant stakeholders in the North Sea area;
• Carrying out fieldwork and experimental research;
• Processing, analysing, and reporting research results and translating these into practical advice for the fisheries sector, government, and other stakeholders;
• Publishing in scientific journals and presenting at symposia, conferences, and other events.

Your Team
You will primarily collaborate with colleagues within the Fisheries Research and Innovation (VOI) theme team at Wageningen Marine Research. Your daily work will involve a mix of different projects, meaning you will be part of multiple project teams. Your role and responsibilities will vary from project to project — in some, you will act as a researcher, while in others, you may take on a more managerial role as project leader.

You will also work closely with fishers and representatives from the fisheries sector, and maintain contact with clients.

Your main workplace will be the Wageningen Marine Research offices and laboratories in IJmuiden.

You are, first and foremost, a scientist who approaches practical challenges with a scientific mindset. You communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including fishers, environmental organisations, policymakers, and fellow researchers. This enables you to connect fishers and fisheries technologists in joint projects and to bridge the gap between practice, policy, and applied scientific research.
You enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team, are critical and analytical, and can perform well under time pressure.

You also have:

• A relevant university degree (at least MSc level), such as Fisheries or Marine Biology;
• Experience in leading medium-sized projects and acquiring research funding;
• A strong affinity with the fisheries sector and knowledge of fishing techniques;
• Affinity with developing technical innovations to reduce unwanted effects of fishing. You are particularly skilled in designing, conducting, analysing, and reporting impact studies;
• The ability to delegate tasks within project teams — for instance, assigning the analysis of complex datasets to specialised colleagues. Experience with large datasets, statistical analysis, and programming in R is considered an asset;
• A flexible attitude towards working hours, for example in relation to fishing meetings or research trips. You are willing to spend several weeks per year conducting research aboard fishing vessels;
• Proficiency in both Dutch and English;
• Preferably, a valid Article 9 qualification under the Dutch Experiments on Animals Act.

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;
• 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 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. We offer, depending on your experience, a competitive gross salary of between €3.399 and €5.478 for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 10). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - 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.

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.