Vacancy for a senior scientist / soil ecologist at Wageningen Plant Research

Post date:

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Company Information:

Wageningen Plant Research is the internationally leading contract research institute for plant sciences. Within Wageningen Plant Research there are a number of Business Units (BU) that focus on innovations in the various agricultural sectors. This position is part of the BU Greenhouse Horticulture. We work in multi-disciplinary teams consisting of experts in the field of crop physiology, climate, water and crop protection to optimize production systems tailored to local conditions in greenhouse horticulture and bulb cultivation. We do this together with local experts, stake holders and business partners. Both measurements and models are important tools in this research field. Clients are both (international) governments and (inter) national business.

The business unit Greenhouse Horticulture has approx. 110 employees and four research teams:

Crop health, soil and water
Cultivation and Quality
Greenhouse Technology
Physiology

The position described here is part of the research team for crop health, soil and water at Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated senior scientific researcher with a passion to work on the use of soil resilience as an element of a sustainable cultivation system. You have a thorough knowledge of soil ecology and associated network and know how to build a bridge to microbial ecology / microbiology and plant health. You create new opportunities in the market and you strengthen the position of the business unit in the field of resilient cultivation.

The senior researcher soil ecology:

Executes projects aimed at soil / substrate-bound plant diseases and nematodes, creating a healthy and resilient plant-soil / substrate / water system and conducts research into the mechanisms behind the functioning of the soil ecosystem
Acquires national and international projects on the aforementioned theme for both greenhouse horticulture and bulb cultivation
Responsible for project management of large and complex research projects
Gives guidance to bachelor researchers and (junior) master researchers
Contributes to the strategic vision of the team and gives direction to the further development in his field
Translates scientific research results into practical application
Reports the research results both orally and in writing in journal articles, reports and peer-reviewed papers
Works closely with other specialists in his / her field and with experts on adjacent disciplines inside and outside the business unit;

Job requirements:

PhD with specialization in soil ecology, or phytopathology
Experience with acquisition aimed at business, national and international governments
Experience with setting up plant trials and in vitro tests with diseases and nematodes
Network in (greenhouse) horticulture and / or bulb cultivation is recommended;
Experience with complex data processing, elaboration of next-generation sequencing data and development of models is an advantage;
Excellent control of both Dutch and English
Excellent written and oral reports and presentations, as shown in the publication list;
Driving License

Terms of employment:

We offer a temporary contract with an average working week of 36 hours, salary a maximum of € 5608, - gross per month for a full-time working week (scale 12 CAO DLO) depending on experience. The duration of the contract is initially for the period of two years with the prospect of a permanent appointment. In addition to a market-based salary, we offer good study and leave arrangements and a pension plan with the ABP Pension Fund.

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