PhD position: Standing strong together? The impact of collective disease management on plant pathogen epidemics.

We are seeking four highly motivated PhD students to join our team as part of the interdisciplinary Oil-Clips program (OIL-CLiPS - WUR), funded by Wageningen UR and its partners. The Oil-Clips program aims at unraveling the causes of disease outbreaks in oil palm plantations, focusing on Basal Stem Rot in Indonesia and Bud Rot in Colombia and how these are affected by changes in climate and farmer practices. These disease outbreaks are seen as an interplay between host, pathogen, human action, and environment. The recruited PhD candidates will investigate these relations by applying concepts and methods from at least two disciplines. This specific PhD project focusses on Bud Rot outbreaks in oil palm in Colombia. Research locations are Cenipalma in Colombia and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

PhD 1: Standing strong together? The impact of collective disease management on plant pathogen epidemics.

Bud Rot, caused by Phytophthora palmivora, is a devastating disease threatening oil palm plantations, particularly in Latin America. The disease is currently being managed with rigorous integrated pest management, including planting a partially resistant oil palm variety. However, these measures are not equally accessible to every grower, and the availability of a partially resistant oil palm variety can lead to a (false) sense of security. Because the pathogen is airborne, it can easily spread between neighbouring plots hence disease management on adjacent farms mutually affect each other.

You will monitor the spread and incidence of Bud Rot disease, comparing areas with local collective disease management with areas in which individual smallholders take different measures to prevent outbreaks within one region in Colombia. Based on this data, you will extend existing models that calculate the risk of Bud Rot outbreaks to include spillover effects between plots. In addition to performing field experiments and modelling, you will gather and interpret data about the social factors that may enable or constrain the strengthening of collective disease management. You will collaborate with two other PhD candidates, one that will focus on pathogen genetic diversity and coinfections and their impact on Bud Rot disease severity, and one that will focus on modelling the impact of climate change on Bud Rot outbreaks. The research may include possible comparisons with South-East Asia.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Laboratory of Phytopathology (https://www.wur.nl/en/research-results/chair-groups/plant-sciences/centre-for-crop-systems-analysis.htm) led by Prof. Gert Kema, and within Cenipalma in Colombia (https://www.cenipalma.org/). Your supervisor from Cenipalma is Dr. Mauricio Mosquera Montoya. Your co-promotors from Wageningen University & Research are Dr. Like Fokkens (Laboratory of Phytopathology) and Dr. Kees Jansen (Rural Sociology Group).

You are a team player with good interpersonal skills, with interest and willingness to work with partners from different cultural backgrounds, including other researchers, technical staff, industrial partners, smallholder farmers, and so on. You have a strong and demonstrable personal connection with Colombia or neighbouring countries, and you are fluent in Spanish (written and spoken), in addition to English (see below). You are willing to travel; the successful candidate will be based in Colombia and will spend in total 18 months in Wageningen (travel costs for the candidate will be covered) during the PhD project. (Note: In-depth knowledge of or experience in oil palm production systems is considered an important advantage. Therefore, candidates who are experienced with, and passionate about oil palm, but who do not meet some of the following requirements, are also invited to apply.)

You also possess:

• A successfully completed master’s degree in phytopathology, agro-economy or a related discipline;
• Proven affinity and experience with mathematical modelling;
• Motivation to study the social organization of disease management practices in the field/on the farm;
• Skills and commitment to work in an interdisciplinary research programme and motivation to contribute to the overall programme;
• Demonstrable communicative and reporting skills.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

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

• 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 € 2.872,- per month rising to € 3.670,- 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.

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.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands 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. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Cenipalma
Cenipalma is a high-quality research center in Colombia, recognized both locally and internationally, dedicated to the generation and transfer of knowledge and technologies for the palm oil industry. Cenipalma's mission is to comprehensively manage the processes of scientific research and technological development in the palm oil agroindustry. This includes organizing, planning, promoting, evaluating, monitoring, and controlling research, facilitating the appropriation of the knowledge generated by the palm oil sector. Its purpose is to guarantee the relevance, visibility, quality, excellence, and sustainability of research and technological development in this sector, promoting and strengthening the research capabilities of people and infrastructure. It focuses on promoting the adoption of these technologies and knowledge, training human capital and addressing major challenges such as the Bud Rot disease, for which it has developed prevention and mitigation strategies. Cenipalma plays a crucial role in strengthening and sustaining the Colombian palm oil sector.

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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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.

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

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