Job description Do you want to advance the way we measure and understand the functionality of food ingredients?
Are you a food physical chemist who enjoys combining experimental research, method development, and collaboration across disciplines? Then we invite you to join Wageningen University & Research (WUR) as a Postdoctoral Researcher. What will you do? Food ingredient functionality is essential for designing high-quality food products. However, analytical methods for evaluating properties such as emulsifying, foaming, and gelling functionality are often insufficiently standardized, making results difficult to compare across laboratories. In this position, you will contribute to the development, critical evaluation, and harmonization of analytical methods for food ingredient functionality. You will work closely with researchers across the WUR Food Cluster to improve the scientific robustness, reproducibility, and applicability of techno-functional measurements. Alongside your scientific activities, you will take responsibility for the day-to-day coordination and management of the project, helping to translate its research objectives into scientific outcomes. Your duties and responsibilities include: scientific method development: Advance and optimize experimental methods for characterizing the techno-functional properties of food ingredients; critical method evaluation: Assess existing analytical methods regarding their scientific validity, reproducibility, sensitivity, limitations, and relevance to food applications. Identify opportunities for improvement and standardization project management: Coordinate the project, including planning, monitoring progress and deliverables, organizing project meetings, and reporting on scientific progress; scientific collaboration and dissemination: Support researchers, facilitate collaborations, and communicate results through scientific publications, technical protocols, and presentations; education: supervise BSc/MSc student thesis on topics related to this project. Your team You will join the Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods (FPH) chair group at Wageningen University & Research. Our group investigates the physical and physicochemical principles governing the structure, stability, and functionality of food materials. You will work within an interdisciplinary research environment involving physical chemists, food technologists, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and laboratory specialists. You will collaborate with multiple research groups and laboratories within WUR, connecting expertise and analytical capabilities to establish scientifically robust and broadly applicable methods. You Will Work Here Wageningen University & Research is internationally recognized for its research in food science and technology. The FPH chair group combines fundamental physical chemistry with experimental characterization and application-oriented food research. You will have access to an extensive research infrastructure and opportunities to collaborate with leading scientists working on food proteins, colloidal systems, food structuring, and ingredient functionality. The position offers an opportunity to make a tangible scientific contribution to the development of analytical methodologies for the broader food science community. Requirements We are looking for a scientifically curious and analytically strong researcher who enjoys combining experimental research with critical evaluation and interdisciplinary collaboration. You are capable of independently identifying scientific challenges, translating them into practical research activities, and coordinating collaborative efforts. You have a critical mindset, strong communication skills, and the ability to connect researchers with different scientific backgrounds. You are well organized and comfortable balancing scientific responsibilities with project coordination. You also possess: a PhD in Food Physical Chemistry, Food Science, Physical Chemistry, Colloid and Interface Science, Soft Matter Physics, or a closely related discipline; demonstrated experience with experimental characterisation of food ingredients, preferably involving emulsions, foams, gels, or related colloidal systems; a strong understanding of physicochemical analytical methods, experimental design, data interpretation, and the critical evaluation of measurement protocols, including reproducibility and methodological limitations; a plus is experience with project management and coordination of research activities; strong scientific writing, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work independently and contribute effectively to a collaborative research environment. In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1. Conditions of employment Fixed-term contract: 1 year. 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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3.706,- and € 5.760,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance, for the duration of the project. We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help. You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. Employer 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. Additional information 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 coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs 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. Join us and come work at WUR At Wageningen University & Research, you work at improving the quality of life. Together with your colleagues, you seek to answer the challenges within our domain 'healthy food and living environment.' Read more
