Are you concerned with the impact of food production and food consumption on the environment? Do you want to be part of a multi-disciplinary, international team involved in designing engagement strategies in university and company canteens in Italy and the UK? In this post-doc project, you have the opportunity to show that it is possible to engage EU citizens in adopting healthy and sustainable diets and thereby saving over 5.000 tons of CO2 eq. and 2 million m2 of water.

The Chair-group Health and Society (HSO) participates in the European LIFE project SU-EATABLE (www.sueatablelife.eu). Within a multidisciplinary, international project team we aim to demonstrate that it is possible to substantially reduce CO2 emissions and water use through citizen engagement in healthy, sustainable diets. The challenging target is to engage sufficient people to save about 5,300 tons of CO2 eq. and about 2 million cubic meters of water within the project duration (2019-2021). Considering the entire European population, this could significantly contribute to reaching the EU target of achieving a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.
Together with the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition Foundation, digital social platform creator GreenApes and the Sustainable Restaurant Association, HSO designs and applies individual and social engagement strategies for university and company restaurants in Italy and the UK. The specific tasks of HSO are to establish the SU-EATABLE scientific rationale and monitor and evaluate the strategies for their impact on food choice as well as on broader lifestyle choices. Within the project, a salutogenic and gamified, playful approach is applied to design engagement strategies in which learners are active participants and co-creators. Healthy, sustainable eating is considered part of everyday life in which changing what you eat means not only to re-arrange your own values and practices but also those of your environment.

The postdoc will work closely together with the project manager. Tasks include:

• Design of the monitoring and evaluation tools;
• Data collection through mixed methods;
• Analysis of data, data integration and reporting of the data;
• Further development of the project's theoretical rationale;
• Participation in project meetings and conferences (Italy, UK, Netherlands);
• Internal and external project communication through EU-reports, scientific publications, newsletters and conference contributions;
• Participation in HSO-education through supervision of Bachelor and Master thesis students and providing lectures related to the SU-EATABLE project.

• A completed PhD in the social sciences with focus on food and/or nutrition OR a PhD in nutritional science with focus on social aspects of food and nutrition;
• Eagerness to contribute to health-related issues caused by the current food system;
• Skilled in mixed methods research;
• A passion for bridging scientific and professional practices through interdisciplinary efforts;
• A clear and concise writing style;
• Good communication and collaboration skills.

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.

A challenging position with, depending on your experience, a competitive salary from a minimum of € 3637 to a maximum of € 4978 (for a full working week of 38 hours) in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement Dutch Universities (scale 11). This position covers 0.8 fte and is for a two years contract.

In addition, we offer:

• 8% holiday allowance;
• a structural year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent training opportunities and secondary employment conditions;
• flexible working hours and holidays can possibly be determined in consultation so that an optimal balance between work and private life is possible;
• excellent pension plan through ABP;
• 232 vacation hours, the option to purchase extra and good supplementary leave schemes;
• a flexible working time: the possibility to work a maximum of 2 hours per week extra and thereby to build up extra leave;
• a choice model to put together part of your employment conditions yourself, such as a bicycle plan;
• a lively workplace where you can easily make contacts and where many activities take place on the Wageningen Campus. A place where education, research and business are represented;
• use the sports facilities on campus.

Wageningen University & Research stimulates internal career opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are ample opportunities for own initiative in a learning environment.

We offer a versatile job in an international environment with varied activities in a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

Wageningen University & 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.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

The Health and Society Group is part of the department of Social Sciences of Wageningen University and is a dynamic and quickly growing group, both in terms of research and teaching. Our mission is to advance the understanding of factors, processes and mechanisms that underlie the development of health and well-being during the life course. We are particularly interested in health development as a function of the interaction between people and their socio-ecological context. We apply a combination of research methods and techniques: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed methodology, and both traditional and (participatory) action research.