Are you a sensory and perception expert in the field of nutrition?
Do you have a passion for innovation and for incorporating food into a healthy and sustainable future? Then this vacancy is for you!

Your responsibilities

• you will work closely with the Flavour Science Group on instrumental analyses, in-vivo techniques and sensory and instrumental analyses that help shed light on the perception of flavour in various food products;
• you will collaborate with the Business Development Team on tailoring expertise propositions to market needs. You will actively contribute to the acquisition of new projects by visiting clients, drafting project proposals and monitoring developments in the field;
• you will participate in projects as a project leader by overseeing multidisciplinary research teams, monitoring progress and communicating with clients;
• you will forge new partnerships with market parties and establish relationships with associated research fields, both within and outside the institute, in order to foster a culture of multidisciplinarity;
• you will share research results in reports, scientific publications and conferences.

You will contribute proactively to the visibility of the expertise and assist the Business Development Team in acquiring new projects. WFBR specialises in the field of nutrition, which will also be your primary area of focus as an expert. We expect you to establish a connection between your field of expertise and associate disciplines to support us in our mission of conducting innovative multidisciplinary research with the aim of developing affordable, high-quality and value-added food and non-food products that facilitate the transition to a circular, biobased and healthy society. This is why we are looking for a team player focused on application, with a proactive attitude and a talent for bringing partners together.

Examples of projects include reformulating products to achieve salt reduction, developing plant-based alternatives to animal protein products and (possibly in the future) delving deeper into the sensory perception of textiles and biobased materials.

Your qualifications

• you have a PhD and demonstrable experience with methodologies in the field of sensory science, perception and nutrition, preferably with at least ten years of work experience as well;
• you have an extensive network in the agri-food sector;
• you have experience with applied scientific research;
• you are a networker with a passion for acquiring innovative research projects;
• you have an innovative and future-focused mindset and can translate this into simple and accessible applications;
• you have experience as a project leader of complex projects at the IPMA-C level.

You are an enthusiastic and independent researcher with excellent communication skills and can function well in a dynamic project organisation. You have strong verbal and written language skills in both Dutch and English.

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;
• the option to accrue additional compensation hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December bonus of 4%;
• 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 €3.527,- and €5.479,- for a full-time working week of 36 hours, in accordance with the CLA Wageningen Research (scale 11). Additionally, a contract for 0.8 FTE can be discussed.
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 multi-faceted position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

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.
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. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research
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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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.. 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.

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.