Are you the PhD fellow on Food Structure and Energy Intake who will find innovative, evidence based solutions for the design of attractive foods that moderate energy intake? You will work at the crossroads of Human Nutrition, Sensory Science and Food Design at one of the most pressing nutritional issues of our society, i.e. the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity.

As an enthusiastic PHD fellow you work in the context of the TKI-Agrifood funded project Restructure, and you will:

• Design and conduct a human trial to investigate the role of food structure on eating rate, satiation and energy intake;
• develop and test mathematical models that predict eating rate and energy intake from food structural and compositional parameters;
• compose evidence-based food design rules for food structures to moderate energy intake that can be applied by food industry.

We are looking for someone with excellent organizational skills and affinity for both nutrition/eating behaviour and food technology. The Junior Researcher will present this work on conferences and through scientific publications and supervise MSc students working on this topic.

• A university degree (MSc) in a relevant field (e.g., Nutrition and Health, Food Technology);
• affinity and demonstrable experience with experimental studies on eating behavior;
• good communication skills, good control of Dutch, English (both verbally and written);
• excellent organizational skills;
• experience or interest in mathematical modelling techniques;
• strong internal drive to excel and succeed.

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

• Sabbatical leave, study leave, and paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December 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 € 2.395,- per month rising to € 3.061,- 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 encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the Best University in the Netherlands for the 16th consecutive time.

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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. 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 and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of Wageningen University and 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, 6.500 employees and 12.500 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen's unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.

The Sensory Science and Eating Behavior Group at the Division of Human Nutrition and Health: https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Chair-groups/Agrotechnology-and-Food-Sciences/Human-Nutrition-and-Health/About-us.htm and the Food Quality and Design group of the Food Science Cluster at Wageningen University and Research: https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-Results/Chair-groups/Agrotechnology-and-Food-Sciences/Food-Quality-and-Design-1.htm.

These are the points our employees list as good reasons to come work at WUR: read the 5 reasons to come work at WUR

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.