Graduate schools
At Wageningen University & Research, academic research and the PhD programme are coordinated by six Graduate Schools that together join forces under the umbrella of Wageningen Graduate Schools (WGS).
Graduate Schools have three main tasks:
- To coordinate, develop and facilitate doctoral education and training;
- To stimulate and coordinate the development of a coherent research programme within the mission of the graduate school;
- To safeguard, monitor and stimulate the quality and progress of research by staff, postdocs and PhD candidates.
The Graduate Schools of Wageningen University & Research and their areas of research are described below. It should be noted that research groups can participate in more than one Graduate School, but a PhD candidate usually belongs to only one Graduate School.
Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS)
The national Graduate School EPS organises and coordinates fundamental and strategic plant research of the collaborating universities and institutes, aiming at the development of new principles in plant molecular biology, plant physiology, plant growth for sustainable agriculture and horticulture, plant breeding and plant protection. EPS supports PhD candidates and postdocs in becoming self-reliant, societally skilled researchers by offering various training activities and network events throughout the year.
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Research Programmes
- Developmental biology of plants
- Interactions between plants and biotic agents
- Metabolism and adaptation
- Genome biology
Production Ecology and Resource Conservation (PE&RC)
PE&RC is a collaborative research and PhD training institute coordinated by Wageningen University & Research with members (staff, postdocs and PhD candidates) from Wageningen University, Utrecht University (group Ecology and Biodiversity), University of Amsterdam (IBED), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Dep. of Ecological Sciences), Radboud University Nijmegen (IWWR), Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology.
The mission of PE&RC is “Understanding the functioning of natural and managed ecosystems to improve the quality of life”. This mission can be viewed from a local, regional and global perspective, considering bio-/geo-physical and socio-economic objectives and constraints. The research within PE&RC ranges from intensive agricultural production systems (e.g., glasshouses) to extensive semi‑natural and natural production systems (e.g., agroforests, wetlands, savannas and protected areas). Production refers to products as well as services (e.g., recreation, biodiversity). Bio-/geo-sciences are corner stones of PE&RC research, but communication and collaboration with social sciences are essential for the design and development of sustainable and multifunctional land use systems.
PE&RC provides a stimulating and interactive platform for scientists and PhD candidates to communicate and facilitates the training of PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows by organising a wide variety of activities such as postgraduate courses, seminars, discussion groups, theme days and annual meetings.
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T +31 317 483687 / +31 317 485116
VLAG Graduate School (VLAG)
Our mission is to develop the careers of young researchers and to promote research collaboration in Biobased, Biomolecular, Food and Nutrition Sciences.
VLAG is a community of research consisting of researchers and research groups from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and five major institutes for applied research in The Netherlands: NIZO food research, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), TNO, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research* and Wageningen Food Safety Research* (*part of Wageningen University & Research).
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T +31 317 482568 / +31 317 485135
- Biobased Sciences
- Biomolecular Sciences
- Food Sciences
- Nutrition Sciences
Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS)
Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS)
The mission of WASS is to understand social processes with regard to today’s global challenges of disparities and poverty, of responsible production and consumption, of natural resource use and the environment, as well as of knowledge in society.
WASS research analyses interactions between institutions, practices and social change, often in relation to the material-physical world of natural resources, technologies and artefacts. Research topics include major societal transformation processes such as globalisation of markets, technological changes, unequal access to resources, climate change, shifts in political power and economic prosperity, fast developments in the information society, and emerging fluidity of boundaries between science and politics.
WASS researchers work in a variety of social science disciplines and also develop interdisciplinary (beta-gamma) methodologies to bridge scientific disciplines.
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T +31 317 484334 / +31 317 482923
- Business Sciences
- Economics
- Space, Place and Society
- Sustainable Governance
- Communication, Philosophy and Technology
- Health and Sustainable Living & Learning
Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences (WIAS)
The mission of WIAS is to improve our understanding of animals and their various roles for mankind through fundamental and strategic research and training of early stage researchers (PhD and post-doc).
WIAS is engaged in fundamental and strategic research and provides training for young researchers on societally relevant animals, ranging from commercial animals such as livestock and fish, to experimental animals such as zebra fish, mice and rats, to companion animals and free ranging (wild) animals.
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T +31 317 484415
Wageningen Institute for Environment and Climate Research (WIMEK)
WIMEK aims to develop an integrated understanding of environmental change, its impact on the quality of life and sustainability and offers solutions for environmental improvement by:
- conducting innovative scientific and technological research
- offering PhD training and education
- dissemination emerging insights, recent research results and novel technological & policy approaches to companies, regulating authorities and society.
Currently, about 350 PhD candidates have been enrolled in WIMEK, of whom about 70 percent come from outside the Netherlands.
We aim to support PhD candidates in their personal and scientific development by offering them a challenging scientific research environment, a national and international scientific network of environmental researchers and an advanced training and education programme.
To reach these goals WIMEK has also strongly supported the development of an inter-university network of environmental research groups at national level. This has resulted in the establishment of the Dutch Research School of the Socio-Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment (SENSE) in 1994. Now, environmental research groups from eight Dutch universities and IHE Delft collaborate in SENSE and WIMEK is the largest participating institute
Scientific Director
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T +31 317 482525 (Marjolijn Dannenburg)
Our research is focused on three Grand Challenges:
- Climate action: Towards fair and effective solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Managing our future biosphere: Developing strategies for the sustainable use of soil, water, atmosphere, biodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes.
- Advancing circular systems: Inclusive innovation towards closed water, nutrient, and material flows.