Are you interested in designing microbial communities? Are you curious about evolution as a tool to enable new technologies? Then this PhD project could be what you’re looking for!

As a fully funded PhD candidate in the Systems & Synthetic Biology Chair Group, you will explore evolutionary engineering strategies to improve stability of synthetic microbial communities (SynCom). These SynComs are made by combining known microbes, and have a broad application potential in medical, biotechnological, and agricultural contexts.

Stability is a fundamental property of SynComs; community members should coexist long-term with low variability, and the community should withstand & recover from perturbations. Despite the clear importance of this feature for SynCom applications, no strategies exist to design & engineer stability in SynComs. In this project, you will how (directed) evolution can improve SynCom resistance & tolerance to perturbations.

For this PhD position, you will:

• use long-term & directed evolution experiments to evaluate how evolution under different selective pressures alters SynCom stability and perturbation responses;
• use in-depth genomic analysis of the evolved communities to identify which genetic features contribute to SynCom stability;
• connect genomes to community- and process-level properties and deliver strategies to improve the design of SynComs for bioprocessing applications;
• work with highly interdisciplinary colleagues in a collaborative environment;
• develop and lead novel research questions, design experiments, analyze and synthesize results, and communicate outcomes at (inter)national conferences as well as publish these outcomes in peer-reviewed journals.

You will work in the Systems & Synthetic Biology chair group, led by Prof. Maria Suarez-Diez and you will be co-supervised by dr. Pieter Candry & dr. Jasper Koehorst.

The ideal candidate should have the following qualities:

• a successfully completed MSc degree in Microbiology, Systems Biology, Biotechnology, Bio-engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field;
• experience with routine microbial cultivation & molecular techniques;
• interest in and experience with genomic analyses;
• strong spoken and written communication skills

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.

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. 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, 7,700 employees (7,000 fte), 2,500 PhD and EngD candidates, 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 this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves and do not appreciate unasked for services from recruitment agencies. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

For more information about this position, please contact Pieter Candry by email: pieter.candry@wur.nl, and Jasper Koehorst by email: jasper.koehorst@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Rutger Voorrips, corporate recruiter, by email: rutger.voorrips@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. Your application should include a cover letter and a CV highlighting your education & experience.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including October 28, 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in the first half of November 2024. The intended start date is January 2025.

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. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.