PhD Fellow on Innovative Digital Tools to Understand Child Eating Behaviour:
Are you interested in pursuing research on ‘Innovative Digital Tools to Understand Child Eating Behaviours’? A PhD candidate who will find innovative solutions to understand the important factors that moderate children’s eating behaviours and influence their energy intake?
You will combine Human Nutrition, Sensory Science and Innovative Digital tools to track child eating behaviour, and propose solutions that promote healthy eating and dietary patterns. We seek an enthusiastic PhD fellow to join the Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour Chair group in partnership with the Hungry Robots Lab, and collaborators from the National University of Singapore (CHILD).
The successful candidate will:
- design and conduct observational feeding trials to investigate the role of food properties on eating behaviours and energy intake;
- develop and test novel approaches to promote appetite awareness among children, and study the impact this has on eating behaviour and energy intake;
- compile evidence-based findings in peer review publications and recommendations on ways to improve the food environment for children in the Netherlands.
We are looking for someone with excellent organizational skills and affinity for both nutrition/eating behaviour and digital technology. If you like to be in charge, while receiving guidance by a very strong team of researchers who want nothing more than to see you succeed, this is the job for you.
The PhD candidate will be expected to present their research findings at conferences and share the outcomes of their eating behaviour studies through scientific publications. The successful candidate will supervise and guide MSc-students working on projects within this topic.
The research is embedded within the chair Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour, which is led by Prof. Ciarán Forde. You will be co-supervised by Associate Prof. Gerry Jager, Assistant Prof. Guido Camps and by Assistant Prof. Keri McCrickerd from the National University of Singapore.
We ask
- a university degree (MSc) in a relevant field (e.g., Nutrition and Health, Food Technology, Psychology);
- affinity and/or experience with experimental studies on human eating behaviors;
- good communication skills, good control of Dutch, English (both verbally and written);
- a self-started with excellent organizational skills;
- experience and interest in conducting research with children is preferable;
- knowledge and experience in the application of statistical techniques;
- strong internal drive to excel and succeed;
- for this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognized Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.
We offer:
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
- sabbatical leave, study leave, and paid parental leave;
- working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
- the option to accrue additional holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
- 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 December bonus of 8.3%;
- excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team. The gross salary for the first year is € 2.395,- per month rising to € 3.061,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
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 are offering 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 16th 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. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, known as the 30% ruling. 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 and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.
More information
Do you want more information? For this position you can only apply on line. For more information about this position, please contact the Chair of Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour via email: ciaran.forde@wur.nl or Sjanneke Hulshof: Sjanneke.hulshof@wur.nl . For more information about the procedure, please contact Mathilde Keij, HR advisor, via email: mathilde.keij@wur.nl.
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 28th of February 2023. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on 6th of March in the afternoon 2023.
Equal opportunities: Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusive webpage. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.
We are: The mission of Wageningen University and 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, 6.500 employees and 12.500 students, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of Wageningen’s unique approach. WUR has been named Best Employer in the Education category for 2019-2020.