Assistant / Associate Professor: Fish health and immunology

Your job

The Aquaculture and Fisheries group (AFI) at Wageningen University & Research is looking for a new staff member to help prevent disease, and maintain animal health in aquaculture. If you are an immunologist specialized in aquatic animals and you take sustainable aquaculture serious, then you are the one we would like to talk to.

We are convinced that it is vital to safeguard health of farmed aquatic organisms, contributing to a One Health approach and a sustainable way forward for aquaculture. We aim to do so by prevention, building on both innate and adaptive immune responses. As read-outs we measure systemic as well as mucosal health and local immune responses, to help the development of functional feeds, or vaccines.
As assistant or associate professor in Fish Health and Immunology you are expected to build your own research group in collaboration with your colleagues.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Developing a scientifically-challenging and financially-sound research line in fish health with strong foundations in both, molecular and cellular immunology;
• Guiding the groups’ technicians with advanced molecular, cellular and/or (immuno) histochemical expertise;
• Coordinating and teaching the subject of fish health and immunology at BSc, MSc and PhD level;
• Sharing the responsibility for managing the (chair) group of Aquaculture and Fisheries;
• Actively sharing the ambition of W-ARE, WUR’s initiative to work on sustainable aquaculture.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Aquaculture and Fisheries, which is led by Prof. Geert Wiegertjes.

In this challenging career trajectory:

• you acquire, lead and implement innovative and creative (inter-) national research projects in aquaculture;
• you collaborate with colleagues and supervise PhD students, BSc and MSc theses and you develop and teach courses;
• you contribute to the further development of the Aquaculture and Fisheries group.

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

Your qualities

You have a proven expertise in immunology and focus on aquatic animal health. You are curious about the interaction of animals with their environment (e.g. pathogens, commensal bacteria, immune stimuli, water quality parameters, etc). You are independent but like to work in collaboration with the rest of the team. You enjoy training others, communicate well, and have proven ability to pro-actively reach out to international collaborators.

You also possess:

• a completed PhD in biology, animal sciences, veterinary sciences, or related field;
• several years of post-doctoral experience (post-doc, assistant prof, researcher, etc.);
• relevant laboratory skills in molecular and cellular biology;
• relevant and well-evaluated teaching experience;
• a proven positive attitude for collaborative research;
• Fluency in English (C1 level).

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;
• 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 € 5.441 and € 7.575  for a full-time working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 12 or 13).

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 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. 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.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Geert Wiegertjes, professor and head of the research group, telephone +31317482732 or by e-mail geert.wiegertjes@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, 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 Monday, 16 December, 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews in January 2025.

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, 7,600 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.