"Postdoc position: Digestion of human milk and bovine milk-based ingredients for infant formula"

Postdoc position: Digestion of human milk and bovine milk-based ingredients for infant formula

Deadline 4 Nov ’25

Vacancy ID P1941701-1

Job description

Are you fascinated by the science behind infant nutrition? Do you want to uncover how human milk and infant formula differ during digestion? Are you eager to apply advanced analytical techniques to study protein breakdown and peptide functionality? If so, this PostDoc position at Wageningen University & Research could be the perfect next step in your career.

Although human milk is widely acknowledged as the recommended source of nutrition for newborn infants, many of them receive cows’ milk-based infant formula. In the past decades, the composition of infant formula has been adapted to mimic the composition of human milk, specifically regarding milk protein content and ratio of protein fractions (casein and whey). Even though these steps have been taken, the digestion of human milk proteins differ substantially from that of infant formula, as we have shown in previous research. These differences may be partially mediated by the milk protein clot formed in the infant’s stomach. Different infant formula ingredients, depending on composition and processing, may modulate the behaviour of infant formula during digestion. This can thereby lead to differences in the extent of protein breakdown and peptide formation during digestion. In this research project, we will compare the digestion of human milk to digestion of ingredients for infant formula, to gain a better understanding how the physical-chemical properties of these ingredients impact their digestive behaviour.

Your responsibilities will include:

• performing in-vitro digestion experiments of human milk and bovine milk-derived ingredients for infant formula;
• chemical-analytical characterisation of the resulting digesta, including LC/MSMS-based peptidomics;
• in-silico analysis of peptide functionality, e.g. using functionality databases and/or molecular docking.

You will work at Food Quality and Design group, which is a large multidisciplinary chair group. The vision of the group is that health, sustainability, and quality aspects of food products are fundamental "to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life", i.e. the mission of Wageningen University and Research. The objectives of FQD are to develop new scientific knowledge on food design and quality management and to train future generations for positions at the boundary between food technology and other disciplines. Better understanding of protein digestion kinetics is one of the key research areas of FQD.

Requirements

For this position we are looking for someone with the following qualities:

• a PhD degree in food science, life sciences, or a related field;
• affinity with food proteins and especially their in vitro digestion;
• experience with the chemical-analytical approaches used for analysing digesta;
• preferably, these chemical-analytical skills include peptide analysis, combined with knowledge of their in silico analysis;
• strong oral and written communication skills in English (C1).

Conditions of employment

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 € 3.546,- and € 5.538,- 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 offer a contract for the duration of the project; 15 months. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

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.

Employer

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’.

We pursue this mission through a synergistic approach between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation (applied research). Our research focuses on questions within the domains of food, living environment, and society. With approximately 30 locations, 7,700 staff members, 2,500 PhD candidates, and over 13,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is among the world’s leading knowledge institutions in its domain. The integral approach to challenges and the collaboration across various disciplines form the core of the unique Wageningen approach.

Additional information

For more information about this position, please contact Kasper Hettinga by email: kasper.hettinga@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Evelien Janssen, corporate recruiter by email: Evelien.janssen@wur.nl.

You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including 3 November 2025.