Do you have a strong affinity with health and lactation management of dairy cows? Do you have interest in data analysis and computer science? Would you like to combine these interests working in a challenging multidisciplinary environment ?

Extending the lactation length of dairy cows will reduce the frequency of calving moments in a cow’s life and may herewith improve cow health. Risk of an extended lactation is that part of the cows gains too much body weight during the end of the extended lactation, associated with increased health risks in the subsequent lactation. Recently, Wageningen University finished a research project (see project page (in Dutch): Lactatie op Maat (verantwoordeveehouderij.nl); and PhD thesis) where animal-specific characteristics were identified that determine an individual cow’s response to an extended lactation. In the current research project, these cow characteristics will be used to build decision support models to optimize lactation length. Moreover, the additional value of on-farm (sensor) data will be explored to finetune and increase the performance the decision support models.

This is a challenging multidisciplinary project and we look for an enthusiastic and result-oriented PhD candidate with excellent data analysis skills and a strong affinity with health and management of dairy cows.
During the project you will:

• use commercial farm data to develop and fine-tune the model as well as evaluate the practical application and implementation of the developed decision models together with dairy farmers.
• also be involved, as part of your PhD training, in teaching and supervising BSc and MSc (thesis) students besides doing research.
• work in an interdisciplinary team and you will collaborate with researchers and students within Wageningen University & Research as well as the industrial partners within the project.

The project ‘OptiLac’ is a collaboration between Wageningen Livestock Research (Animal Nutrition) and Wageningen University (Adaptation Physiology group), funded by Lely, ZuivelNL, Melkveefonds and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and in collaboration with ForFarmers and CRV.

• Your duties and responsibilities include:
• Taking an active and leading role in the collection and the analysis of data, obtained from participating dairy farms
• Develop, fine-tune and evaluate decision support models for cow management using (sensor) data from dairy farms
• Write scientific papers and a PhD thesis
• Follow PhD courses as part of your Training and Supervision Plan
• Present results to dairy farmers, other stakeholders and at (inter)national conferences

You also possess:

• A master degree in data science, bioinformatics or related field, and clear affinity with the livestock sector
• Or equivalently: A master degree in animal science, veterinary medicine or related field, and demonstrated strong data analysis skills and interest
• A result-oriented personality, focusing on translating questions from practice to research questions, and translate scientific results into practice
• A strong drive and enthusiasm to work with and contribute to continuous improvement of the dairy sector.
• Excellent communication skills and proficiency in Dutch (orally and written) will be a pre.
• The ability to work in international and multidisciplinary teams
• A driver’s license will be a pre.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Adaptation Physiology (www.adp.wur.nl), which is led by Prof. B Kemp. You will be co-supervised by Dr ATM van Knegsel and Dr RMA Goselink.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• 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 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 € 2.872 - per month rising to € 3.670,- 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.
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 19th 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 for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, 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.

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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

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