Postdoctoral Researcher: Developing and Testing Next-Generation Fish Detection Gear to Minimize the Climate and Ecological Impact of Flatfish Trawling Wageningen • Wageningen University & Research

Are you excited by out-of-the-box thinking and engineering challenges? This postdoctoral position offers an exciting opportunity to reduce the ecological impact of flatfish trawling by developing next-generation fish detection gear. Collaborate within an interdisciplinary team to design, construct, and test prototypes while enjoying benefits such as sabbatical leave, study leave, and access to sports facilities. Join a dynamic international environment focused on sustainability and innovation. Uncover the reasons why this opportunity is worth considering.

Your job

Are you excited by out-of-the-box thinking and engineering challenges? Are you passionate about reducing the ecological, biodiversity, and climate impacts of commercial flatfish trawling? Do you enjoy synthesizing research insights to develop and test next-generation fish detection gear? If so, this postdoctoral position is the perfect opportunity for you!

Fisheries targeting flatfish such as sole and plaice typically use heavy tickler chains dragged through the sediment to startle and catch fish. This largely indiscriminate technique results in low catch selectivity and high bycatch, high fuel consumption due to increased drag, and considerable environmental impacts, including seabed disturbance, CO2 emissions, and the release of pollutants. As a result, there is an urgent need for more sustainable fishing techniques that eliminate the use of tickler chains. Wageningen University and Research and its partners are developing detection-based fishing techniques that mitigate the current negative impacts. The Postdoc will focus on advancing novel fish detection technologies to support fish monitoring and more selective and sustainable flatfish fishing.

This Postdoc project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Safety and Nature of the Netherlands, Wageningen University, and Wageningen Marine Research. It aims to develop:
(1) a validated prototype of an instrumented beam equipped with a multi-channel flatfish detection system, and
(2) a validated prototype of a multi-channel detection system for fish entering the net.
The focus will be on implementing fish detection by combining measurements of time- and position-dependent changes in electrical impedance with real-time high-speed distance measurements.

In a parallel project, another Postdoc will, partly based on two current ongoing PhD projects, design and test methods that selectively stimulate flatfish to emerge from the sediment, facilitating their capture in the net. Together, the two Postdocs will develop prototype fishing systems that integrate detection and startling mechanisms with minimal seabed disturbance. Construction and experimental testing will be supported by a team of electrical and mechanical technicians.

This position offers the opportunity to work within an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians at the Experimental Zoology Group of Wageningen University, in close cooperation with Wageningen Marine Research and the Department of Maritime & Transport Technology at Delft University of Technology. Together, we aim to develop sustainable fishing techniques grounded in a deep understanding of flatfish escape behavior and swimming biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and state-of-the-art fish-detection techniques.

Your Duties and Responsibilities:

• Designing, constructing and testing prototypes of novel gear for the detection of flatfish.
• Publishing your findings in scientific journals, integrating research from (bio)mechanics, and fisheries perspectives.
• Communicating about the project with stakeholders and the general public through several channels (e.g., social media).

Your qualities

You are a highly motivated individual with the following competencies and skills:

• Proficiency in electrical design, multi-model sensor technology, and experimental analysis.
• Strong communication skills and a genuine interest in interdisciplinary collaboration.
• A critical thinker, with the ability to express complex ideas clearly and scientifically.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

You also have:

• A PhD degree in electrical engineering, sensor technology, control engineering, biophysics or a related field.
• Affinity for animal research.

In our international working environment, there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position, language level C1 is required.
We offer you

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 end-of-year 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 fulltime working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). We offer a temporary position for one year, based on 32 hours per week (0.84 fte). After one year, a performance review will determine whether the contract will be extended until the end of the project (maximally 1 September 2027), based on your achievements. Naturally, we would be happy to discuss any questions or preferences you may have regarding the terms of employment.

Wageningen University & Research encourages internal advancement opportunities and mobility with an internal recruitment policy. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We offer a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 20th consecutive time.

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 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.
Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Johan van Leeuwen, professor of animal mechanics, telephone +31317482267, email: via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina. or Dr Martin Lankheet, associate professor of experimental zoology, email: via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Dax Teunissen, corporate recruiter, via de button "Solliciteer nu" op deze pagina.. 

Do you want to apply?
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 September 7, 2025. Interviews will be also conducted throughout the application period, so don’t hesitate to apply early.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure.

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

We are

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.