Assistant Professor in Philosophy of the Life Sciences

Are you seeking a challenging role in a nurturing and collegial setting that supports rigorous philosophical teaching and research as well as opportunities for productive collaborations with social and life scientists? Are you an outstanding early career researcher whose focus is philosophy of the life sciences, biotechnologies, or related areas, grounded in fields such as epistemology, philosophy of science, social/political philosophy, ontology, or ethics? The Philosophy group at Wageningen University & Research offers an exciting opportunity to make significant impacts and build a successful academic career in a supportive and welcoming setting.

You will work in the Philosophy group
This position is in the Philosophy (PHI) group which is led by Prof. Rachel A. Ankeny. The PHI group is recognized for its cutting-edge research and innovative teaching in applied philosophy and philosophy of the life sciences in practice, drawing on multiple philosophical traditions and interdisciplinary methodologies, often in collaboration with natural scientists and incorporating empirical approaches.
The PHI group is embedded in Wageningen University, which is internationally renowned as a leading institution in the life sciences, particularly food, agriculture, and environmental sciences, and which prides itself on its excellence and impact. PHI is located within the Social Sciences Group (SSG) and has close relationships and collaborations with other groups in its section: Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation (KTI), Strategic Communications (COM), and Education and Learning Sciences (ELS).

The PHI group currently has the equivalent of 8 full-time academics (half conventional research/teaching mix, and half teaching focused) plus 2 part-time special professors, 4 postdoctoral researchers, 18 PhD candidates, and 2 support staff, who together support an active intellectual and productive working environment which is culturally and socially diverse. To further strengthen our research and education in this time of continued evolution and growth at WUR including in the PHI group, we are seeking applications for an Assistant Professor position.

As Assistant Professor in the PHI group, you will contribute to research, teaching including graduate training, PhD supervision, group administration, and engagement within and outside of the university (the typical split of responsibilities is 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% administration, with details to be negotiated for the successful candidate). The language of instruction and the primary institutional language is English.

In this challenging career trajectory, your duties and responsibilities will include:

• conducting high-quality philosophical research and publishing in leading journals and with outstanding publishers in both philosophy and relevant scientific fields collaboratively and independently;
• acquiring, coordinating, and implementing innovative national and international funded research projects, and actively participating in larger collaborative research consortia;
• teaching and (re)developing courses in environmental and/or animal ethics, philosophy of the life sciences, philosophy of technology, philosophical issues in AI/data science, or related topics as part of the PHI minor or within natural or social science courses;
• supervising PhD candidates and MSc/BSc theses, and contributing to graduate-level training courses including research integrity and ethics, and/or ethics for social science research; and
• contributing to the further development of the PHI group including nurturing a supportive and productive working environment for all members, and fostering productive working relationships with other groups at WUR.

This position is governed by the new Academic Career Framework (ACF) at Wageningen University & Research, which has replaced the traditional tenure track pathway for all academic staff from 9 March 2025 onward. One of the 3 career paths is the Professor Career Path. The aim of this ACF is to achieve a new balance in recognising and valuing academics for both team collaborations and the unique talent of individual academics, by creating more differentiation in career paths, putting more emphasis on the quality of work and less on quantitative results, doing justice to the individual qualities and ambitions of academics as much as to team performance, promoting all aspects of open science, and encouraging high-quality leadership in the academy.

You are ambitious and enthusiastic about education, research, and engagement related to philosophical approaches to the life sciences. You also are eager to pursue collegial collaborations, exchange ideas openly across traditions and disciplines, and develop the burgeoning field of philosophy of the life sciences.

You possess:

• a completed PhD in philosophy or a related field;
• a strong research profile in philosophy of the life sciences and/or technologies that complements but does not duplicate our current expertise;
• an independent research program that would support a successful application for early career fellowship funding (e.g., NWO Veni or ERC Starter grants);
• documented experience in seeking competitive grant funding;
• demonstrated ability to publish solely and collaboratively in leading journals and/or with major book publishers;
• relevant and well-evaluated teaching experience (optionally supervisory experience or innovations in teaching);
• evidence of excellent communication skills particularly working in diverse and interdisciplinary groups and positive contributions to academic culture building;
• English proficiency at C1 level; and the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ: in Dutch, BKO), or willingness to obtain it within 3 years.

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;
• 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 year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will be offered a fixed-term, 18 months contract which, upon positive evaluation, can lead to a permanent employment contract. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 4,728.- and € 6,433.- for a full-time working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 11).
Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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.

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. 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 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.