• High speed quality assessment of potatoes, bulbs, onions, is important for industry. We have worked on a machine that makes a 3D image of a product that flies by between two conveyor belts, and that determines the volume, shape and damage of the product instantaneously.
• Biodiversity in the world is under pressure. To help assess measures to improve biodiversity, we apply deep learning technologies. On images of the seabed taken by underwater drones and on images of lakes and fields taken from planes, we use these techniques to determine the variety and amount of species present.

These are just two examples of projects that we work on for our customers. Can you see a role for innovative agro food robotics assignments for a healthy and sustainable society and are you interested in leading these projects? Then, we are looking for you!

We are looking for a passionate project leader who understands the needs of the customer, who helps to formulate the project plan and who leads the project execution within the Agro Food Robotics (AFR) team.

You take part in the Agro Food Robotics (AFR) team as expert and as project manager. As a project leader you find a good balance between the creativity of innovative research and the translation to practical solutions. You work with multidisciplinary project teams of highly educated professionals. As project leader you are the contact person for the external client, you make sure that commitments are made and met within time and budget.

We ask of you that you are not just a superb project leader, but also that you have excellent research & development skills in the fields of computer vision, machine learning, and/or robotics. Besides that, you have experience in network building. You can operate on a conceptual level, you can manage a research project team and you have a practical view of the world that enables you to realise solutions with real customer value.

You have the critical and creative attitude of an independent researcher and will always look at what a solution means for the customer, what impact can be created. That means that communicating and listening are important character traits. Moreover, you are capable for expressing yourself in oral and written communications.

You will be involved in the whole duration of the project, from the first contact with the customer to the delivery of the end result. You will get the opportunity to learn many new things and to give a personal contribution to innovative projects. We expect you to be both independent and a team player in multiple projects at the same time. As a valued team member, you are flexible and keen to find solutions.

An enthusiastic and ambitious project leader agro food robotics with

• A college education in the field of computer vision, AI, physics, or robotics
• Experience in leading hands-on innovative computer vision projects
• A social and creative personality
• Willingness to travel abroad (EU / international)
• Independent thinking and team spirit
• A constant drive to improve yourself and the team
• Affinity with the agrifood domain
• Good language skills in English and preferably Dutch.

A job at a commercial organisation that will challenge you every day to provide our clients with the best possible solution. As project leader Agro Food Robotics you will be part of an ambitious team working on a wide range of issues with plenty of scope for initiative. Personal input and responsibility are an integral part of our culture.

We offer a temporary position with an average working time of 36 hours per week, for the period of 1 year, with the possibility of a permanent employment after a successful evaluation. Besides a salary at market rates (the maximum gross wage per month is € 4934,- for a fulltime appointment. The salary scale and grading depends on education, competences and relevant experience), we offer you favourable study and leave arrangements and a pension scheme with the ABP pension fund.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research develops insights and technologies that support industries, governments, and research institutes to create innovative solutions for a healthier, more sustainable, and prosperous world. Together with our clients we develop healthy and tasty food, truly-sustainable food chains, and chemicals and materials that use biomass instead of fossil resources. Our in-depth knowledge of the entire chain, from raw materials through processing to end product, drives our approach.

We make smart connections between various disciplines to explore complex issues from different perspectives. Through a combination of intelligent analyses and pragmatic invention, we find solutions for these issues. Grounded in science and business, our researchers bring a no-nonsense attitude to their work. We investigate and develop at all stages: upscaling from lab to pilot and from initial idea to production processes that deliver real products for our customers. We have direct access to the latest scientific findings and have a firm grasp of what modern technology offers. Every day, we work with national and global companies, governments and other research institutes to create innovative solutions; now and in the future.

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is one of the Contract Research Organizations of Wageningen University & Research, with the aim to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. With approximately 30 locations, 5,000 members of staff and 10,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is a world leader in its domain. An integral way of working, and cooperation between the exact sciences and the technological and social disciplines are key to its approach. For further information about Wageningen Food & Biobased Research: www.wur.eu/wfbr.

More information about agro food robotics: www.wur.eu/agrofoodrobotics

For further information about working at Wageningen University & Research, take a look at www.wur.nl/en/Jobs.htm

Acquisition regarding this vacancy is not appreciated.