PhD in Combining physics of food science with data sciences for functionality prediction

Your job

Are you interested to combine the physics of food science and data science? Do you want to contribute to a multidisciplinary project that will improve our future food systems? Then this PhD position may be for you!

Currently, food product formulation protocols are lengthy and require copious amount of resources. This project aims to accelerate this by cleverly combining food physics and data science using our recently published methodology. This entails encoding of domain knowledge into data science models. 

What will you do?
As a PhD student, you will work on the development of such predictive data science models by programming, and incorporating physics information into the model. You will work closely together with food scientists, physicists and data scientists. We expect you to be curious to explore relevant data science techniques and for you to be decisive to make a choice for the programming language you will use.

The PhD project as a whole, will focus on using data science techniques to predict multi-scale food structure relationships. The project will explore the incorporation of physical models and information into neural networks.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods which is led by Prof. Erik van der Linden. You will be supervised by Dr. Jack Yang, dr. M. Meinders and Prof. E. van der Linden.

Your qualities

For this project we are looking for a highly motivated and skilled PhD candidate with a recent university MSc degree in food technology (or equivalent).

Specific requirements are:

• a MSc degree in Food Technology, Computer science or related disciplines;
• affinity and or experience with interdisciplinary research;
• experience with programming;
• previous work / affinity on data science is a plus;
• a keen interest in collaborating with food scientists, physicists and data scientists;
• ability to work independently in a multidisciplinary environment;
• willingness to teach MSc and BSc students.

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.

We offer you

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.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Jack Yang, Assistant Professor, by e-mail: jack.yang@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Rutger Voorrips, corporate recruiter, by e-mail: 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.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including November 4^th, 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on shortly after the closing date.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using THIS LINK.
Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

We are

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.