Tenure Track Assistant or Associate Professor Freshwater Ecology (AEW)

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen, Netherlands 🇳🇱

Your job

Are you passionate about freshwater ecosystems and have a strong record of high impact publications in aquatic ecology? Do you want to make a difference as an innovative researcher and an inspiring teacher?  Do you hold a university teaching qualification, or are you willing to obtain such a qualification in a relatively short time? Then this position could be a perfect fit for you!

The Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management group, which is part of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University & Research, is keen to hire an Assistant (or Associate) Professor (0.8-1.0 fte, tenure track). The group seeks to generate new insights that can help restore freshwater and saltwater ecosystems to support ecosystem services and biodiversity and train a new generation of professionals. The complex interaction between physical, chemical and biological processes is central to our system-oriented research and education. Our research is multidisciplinary (chemical, biological, mathematical) and ranges from laboratory research (detailed process studies) to model studies to field studies, covering a range of spatial and temporal scales. The group’s multidisciplinary expertise comes together in the development of integrated models for water quality and ecosystem management related to climate change and other anthropogenic pressures.

As an Assistant (or Associate) Professor you are expected to establish an internationally leading research team on Aquatic Ecology, integrating modeling-, laboratory and field-based methodological approaches. Your scientific work will help people understand the eminence of ecosystem (in)stability, and support policy makers in making decisions to appropriately conserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the face of global change.

You are expected to contribute to, while not being restricted to, current chair group themes such as limnology, ecosystem modeling, theoretical ecology, impacts of stressors such as climate change and/or pollution, and ecosystem services. As a broadly interested and creative scientist, over time you should be able to contribute to a wider variety of timely scientific issues rather than remain fixated on one topic. Moreover, you will collaborate with colleagues and supervise PhD students, BSc and MSc theses and you develop and teach courses in order to contribute to the teaching portfolio of the Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management group.

The selected candidate will contribute to the chair group’s teaching program in aquatic ecology and water quality at all academic levels (BSc, MSc, PhD), including its further development. A specific focus on teaching aquatic ecology will be expected. You should be able to demonstrate potential to attract research funding at the national as well as international level. In addition, you contribute to the day-to-day operations of the chair group.

Tenure Track is a career path for inspirational scientists who pursue to excel in education and research. We seek to attract scientific talent and to stimulate and support their development.

Your qualities

  • Ability to contribute to the chair group; oriented to the team.
  • PhD in the field of aquatic ecology related to or within the group’s research
  • strong track record in freshwater ecology research, evidenced by publications in scientific journals.
  • a clear research and educational vision on aquatic ecology from a systems analytical perspective
  • a proven track record of national and international funding acquisition,
  • a strong network in the Netherlands and Europe, in academia, government and industry,
  • a proactive approach, entrepreneurial skills
  • someone with an ambition for ground-breaking research
  • someone who can develop (project)leadership.
  • an interest in AEW’s complementary pollution oriented research  
  • talent for and affinity with education
  • excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (a minimum of CEFR C2 level). For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special language page
  • Possession of or willingness to obtain a university teaching qualification (BKO).
  • Experience or affinity with academic teaching, and the ambition to design and teach courses and course innovation
  • Inspiring and enterprising teacher, able to provide education independently, integrating education and research, supported by research conducted by and with other staff.
  • Conceptual/analytical ability, social awareness, good presentation skills and results orientation.

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;
  • the option to accrue additional compensation / 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 be offered a fixed-term, 7-year contract which, upon positive evaluation based on criteria elaborated in the University’s Tenure Track policy, can lead to a permanent employment contract as professor. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between € 3974 and € 6181  for a full-time working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 11 or 12 ).

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 18th 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.
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. For instance, under the “30% rule”, certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

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. For instance, under the “30% rule”, certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Bart Koelmans, Professor Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Group, by e-mail: bart.koelmans@wur.nl
For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, Corporate Recruiter, by e-mail: noorien.abbas@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 10th April, 2023. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in the third week of April 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 inclusivity page. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & 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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.


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