Two PhD Positions in Crop Genetics and Phenotyping for Future Protein Crops

Do you want to help shape the future of sustainable protein crops in the Netherlands? Are you excited about combining plant physiology, genetics, and cutting-edge phenotyping to advance the protein transition? Then one of these two PhD positions within the REAP2SOW programme may be the perfect fit for you!

We are looking for two motivated PhD candidates who will work together on understanding and improving emerging Dutch protein crops quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), white lupin (Lupinus albus), and the historic tuber crop aardaker (Lathyrus tuberosus). One PhD (PhD1) will focus on uncovering the fundamental biology, resilience, and genetic potential of aardaker, creating the foundations for its future use in Dutch food systems. The second PhD (PhD2) will concentrate on high-throughput phenotyping and bioinformatics across the three crops (with a focus on quinoa and lupin), linking genotype to phenotype to identify key traits for future-proof, climate-resilient crop ideotypes. Together, both positions contribute to designing the next generation of sustainable protein crops and advancing the national protein transition.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

PhD1: Aardaker Physiology & Genetics

• Design and conduct experiments to investigate aardaker growth, development, and environmental responses under controlled and field conditions.
• Develop speed-breeding protocols and plant resilience assays, and collaborate with soil, drought, and food-quality teams to assess performance and (anti)nutritional factors.
• Generate and analyse genetic resources (e.g multiparent mapping population) to dissect the genetic architecture of key traits.
• Gather and integrate physiological measurements with -omics datasets using quantitative and bioinformatic approaches, and contribute to joint trait-mapping efforts.
• Publish your findings in scientific journals, collaborate across REAP2SOW, and communicate your results in your PhD thesis and broader outreach activities.

PhD2 - Phenotyping, Bioinformatics & Ideotype Design

• Design and implement high-throughput phenotyping pipelines (above- and below-ground) to quantify vigor, nutrient use, and stress responses in quinoa, white lupin, that could be implemented in aardaker.
• Combine greenhouse, growth chamber, and field measurements to identify traits underpinning early establishment, nutrient acquisition, and productivity.
• Perform genetic association analyses to link phenotypic variation with genomic diversity.
• Work closely with drought, photosynthesis, and field teams to identify scalable proxy traits and integrate multi-environment phenotyping datasets.
• Publish your findings in scientific journals, collaborate across REAP2SOW, and communicate your results in your PhD thesis and broader outreach activities.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Wageningen University Department of Plant Breeding (WU-PBR) with collaboration from Maastricht University chair of Plant Functional Genomics (UM-PFG), Wageningen Plant Research (WPR), and the Wageningen University Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology (WU-CDB). Supervision of PhD1 will led by Dr. Chris Maliepaard (WU-PBR), Dr. Peter Bourke (WU-PBR), and Dr. Andries Temme (WPR). Supervision of Phd2 will be led by by Prof. Luisa Trindade (WU-PBR), Prof. Wim Vriezen (UM-PFG), Dr. Wouter Kohlen (WU-CDB, and Dr. Andries Temme (WPR).

These NWA-funded PhD positions are part of the REAP2SOW programme, a national collaboration between Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University, Leiden University, the University of Twente, and the University of Groningen, together with partners across the agri-food sector. REAP2SOW addresses the urgent challenge of transitioning to a sustainable, plant-based protein system by 2050, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and strengthen food security in the face of climate change and increasing weather extremes that affect ecosystem functioning. The programme brings together interdisciplinary expertise spanning natural, social, and technical sciences.

Within REAP2SOW, our work package focuses on the genetic and physiological foundations of three emerging Dutch protein crops, quinoa, white lupin, and aardaker. It aims to identify the heritable traits and genomic factors that drive early vigor, tuber formation, nutrient acquisition, resilience to abiotic stress, and protein quality. The work integrates controlled-environment experiments with high-throughput phenotyping, and a variety of genomic resources to dissect the genetic architecture of performance and (anti)nutritional traits. By linking genotype to phenotype, our work package provides the trait insights and genetic understanding needed to guide crop improvement, support breeding strategies, and design resilient ideotypes for future Dutch protein landscapes.

You are an enthusiastic, curious, and independent researcher who enjoys combining experimental work with data analysis. You are motivated to contribute to sustainable agriculture and the future Dutch protein landscape, and you enjoy working in an interdisciplinary team that spans physiology, quantitative genetics, phenotyping, bioinformatics, and food-quality research. You have strong analytical skills, good communication abilities, and you are comfortable collaborating across research groups and research environments (lab, greenhouse, field). You are eager to learn new techniques, whether in plant physiology, genomics, or high-throughput phenotyping, and you enjoy connecting detailed trait measurements to the bigger picture of crop improvement.

You also possess:

• A successfully completed MSc degree in plant sciences, biology, agriculture, genetics, bioinformatics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience working with plants, ideally including growth experiments, phenotyping, or physiological measurements.
• Skills in performing quantitative data analyses and the ability (or willingness) to work with –omics or high-dimensional datasets.
• Affinity with genetics, genomics, or trait mapping, and interest in linking genotype to phenotype.
• Strong collaborative attitude and good organizational skills to coordinate experiments across teams and research facilities.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1. 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 € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,- 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.

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.

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.