Are you concerned about the long-term environmental impact of human activities and agriculture, the trade-offs with food security and the role of EU Green Deal policies? Are you interested in exploring how promising new technologies in agriculture could contribute to more safe and equal world in the future? Are you motivated to work with an established international team of researchers?

Wageningen University and Research is hiring a PhD candidate (4 years, full-time employment) to become part of a large international and multi-disciplinary project funded by the EU that aims to develop new models and tools to assess the future development of the EU agricultural landscape.

The PhD candidate will gain research experience in a variety of economic disciplines, from microeconomics, regulatory economics, to a macro-level (Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modelling). The candidate will contribute to the identification of the promising technologies relevant for Green Deal in agriculture, for instance Gene technologies and organic farming. Upon the collection of field-level data, the candidate will analyse the economics of the different production technologies in agriculture such that they can be implemented in the internationally established global CGE model MAGNET for long-term projections and scenario analysis (magnet-model.netlify.app). The MAGNET model is used for policy analyses and advice by the European Commission, FAO and OECD.
In the course of the elaboration of the thesis the candidate will gain experience by interacting with leading researchers in agricultural economics, stakeholders groups, international research teams and policy makers.

The research is embedded within the chair Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy at Wageningen University and within Wageningen Economic Research institute. The PhD project is part of the Horizon Europe BrightSpace project, in which 14 leading European research institutes are developing and applying models to analyse the synergies and trade-offs between socio-economic and environmental development of the EU agricultural sector in the coming decades.

The overall objective of the BrightSpace project is to design effective and sustainable strategies for assessing and addressing the challenges of EU agriculture to navigate within a safe and just operating space, including planetary boundaries as required by the European Green Deal. BrightSpace provides a set of analytical instruments to experiment, analyse, and coordinate the effects of innovative governance structures and policies related to agriculture to navigate within a safe and just operating space.

The candidate will be co-supervised by Prof. Hans van Meijl, Prof, Justus Wesseler and Dr. Zuzana Smeets Kristkova.

• a successfully completed MSc degree in agricultural, environmental or applied economics;
• strong quantitative background: knowledge of econometric methods and economic modelling, previous knowledge of CGE modelling is an advantage;
• for this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level;
• the ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary and multi-national team;
• the ability to think critically and the ambition to publish the results of your work in top economics and interdisciplinary journals.

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

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially 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 compensation / 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 € 2.434,- per month rising to € 3.111,- 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.
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 17th 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.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

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, 6.800 employees and 12.900 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.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!