Full Professor and Chair of the Adaptation Physiology Group Wageningen • Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is recruiting a full professor to lead the Adaptation Physiology chair group (ADP). As Chair you are responsible for the group’s research, education, and operational management, including finances and human resources.

The chair group ADP studies how adaptation to a changing and challenging environment impacts health, welfare and resilience of domesticated and captive animals. At present, the group mainly studies livestock species (cattle, pigs, and poultry). The group takes a multidisciplinary approach, integrating expertise in energy metabolism, immunology, reproduction, and the physiology of behaviour. In this way, ADP aims to contribute to the quality of life by providing knowledge about conditions that facilitate resilience and positive experiences in animals. The group has a strong foundation in both fundamental and applied experimental research. Key elements in research are long-term (trans-generational) effects of early life conditions, support of animals during critical transition periods, development of indicators of positive and negative affective states, and resilience. In addition, there is a growing emphasis on non-invasive methods, including data science techniques, to assess health, welfare and resilience of animals.

Your team
ADP comprises over 50 members from diverse international backgrounds, including 16 scientific staff members, 27 PhD candidates and seven research assistants. ADP is part of the graduate school Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences (WIAS) and one of the 12 chair groups within the department of Animal Sciences of WUR, which is, part of the Animal Sciences Group (ASG).

ADP research focuses on how animal health, welfare, and resilience are impacted: (1) during key transition periods, such as birth, weaning or the start of a new lactation (2) by the physical and social environment; and (3) by global challenges. This focus is closely related to the narrative of the ASG, which includes three main areas: (1) Animal welfare in sustainable food systems; (2) Human and animal health in mutual interaction; (3) Animals in biodiversity and ecosystems.

The ADP group collaborates with other chair groups within and outside the ASG that have complimentary expertise, such as Animal Breeding and Genomics (ABG), Animal Nutrition (ANU), Animal Production Systems (APS), Cell Biology and Immunology (CBI), Systems and Synthetic Biology (SSB), and Wageningen Livestock Research (the contract research organization within WUR). Moreover, the ADP group has joint projects with research groups at other universities within the Netherlands and abroad. Research projects at ADP are funded by government agencies, research grants, industry and the European Union.

More information on the group can be found on the website.

• You are a scholar with a PhD degree and an internationally proven scientific track record in the field of physiology (e.g. energy metabolism, immunology, reproduction) and behaviour, with a focus on domesticated animals;
• You have experience in leading professionals within a multidisciplinary team and can foster scientific cohesion by bridging diverse areas of expertise among staff members. You provide motivating, facilitating, and inclusive leadership with a focus on people’s development, team building and creating synergy;
• You have the experience and skills to develop long-term strategic ideas into concrete plans - for example, on how to lead the group in shaping future sustainable farming systems from the animal’s perspective;
• You have proven experience and success in attracting funding in an (inter)national context;
• You are able to develop and maintain a broad (inter)national network with different partners (e.g. academic institutes, societal organizations, policymakers, private sector);
• You have a passion for, and ample experience in, BSc, MSc and PhD education in an international context, and in the individual supervision of students, PhD candidates and staff;
• You have experience in representing and communicating the research subject areas to the wider community and in contributing to the societal debate, for example through appearances in the media.

You will be working for an inspiring international organisation actively engaged in a large number of interdisciplinary projects all over the world. The scientific quality of Wageningen University & Research is affirmed by the prominent position we occupy in international rankings and citation indices.

We offer you a position as Full Professor and chair of the Adaptation Physiology chair group. Besides a competitive salary (maximum gross salary for starting chair holders is € 10.441,- per month), we offer a number of additional benefits, such as an end-of-year extra month’s salary, a holiday allowance and a pension plan with the Dutch pension fund for government and education. International candidates moving to the Netherlands may benefit from a special tax relief, by which a part of their salary is exempt from tax for several years.

Working hours can be discussed to optimize the work-life balance (32-38 hours per week).

Coming from abroad
We are a globally leading university in the 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.

The university’s highly qualified team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. Furthermore, WUR offers a dual career programme for partners to assist your partner in finding a job or starting a business in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we assist you in finding schools for your children and advise you on finding housing in the region or elsewhere in the Netherlands. The Wageningen University & Research (WUR) International Community page contains practical information about what we do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen.

Further information about the position can be acquired from Prof. dr. Simon Oosting, chair of the Appointment Advisory Committee (AAC). Email: via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina.  

For more information about the procedure you can contact Emma van Dijk, Secretary of the Appointment Advisory Committee (AAC). Email: via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina.

Application
You are invited to address your application to Emma van Dijk and upload it via our website. The application should include (as pdf documents):

• An application letter with curriculum vitae
• A separate list of publications
• Your vision on research and education in the domain of the chair (Max 2 pages).
• A statement on your leadership style and experience (Max 2 pages).

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.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR.

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