PhD opportunity on consequences of obesity treatment

Your job

The PhD fellowship opportunity
The MONUCO project (MOnitoring NUtritional COnsequences of Obesity Treatment) was conceptualized to better understand the consequences of obesity treatment on women’s longer-term health, with a primary focus on musculoskeletal health. This multicentre 10-year prospective observational cohort study of approx. 1200 women will include a birth cohort. Measurements will be performed 6-weeks pre-surgery, three & six months and one year up to ten years post-surgery. Within the integrated birth cohort measurements will be collected preconception, at each trimester during pregnancy and two- & six-months postpartum, after one year up to four years after pregnancy. The MONUCO study will provide insights on the development of evidence-based guidelines for optimal guidance of women who received obesity treatment to ultimately improve health of these women and their offspring.

In keeping with the goal of MONUCO, the specifics objectives of this PhD fellowship opportunity are to:

• explore dietary and lifestyle changes post-obesity treatment across different treatment modalities;
• explore changes related to food purchases, meal preparation, meal timings, meal frequency, meal duration, eating windows, food-related intentions (cravings and aversions etc), in populations across the different obesity treatments they receive;
• assess changes in dietary patterns, with a focus on ultra processed dietary patterns (meal composition, meal quantities) in populations receiving either pharmacological or surgical obesity treatment;
• study associations between ultra processed dietary patterns in relation to post treatment cardiometabolic health outcomes in patients receiving obesity treatment.

PhD duties and responsibilities include:

• systematic review existing literature;
• qualitative and quantitative tool development and data collection;
• data analysis;
• writing scientific publications;
• presenting findings and dissemination;
• actively contribute to the activities of the Division of Nutrition and the PhD community.

Location of the PhD
The research is embedded within the chairgroup of Nutrition and Disease at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. This is a full time, in-person opportunity, and the PhD candidate is expected to live in the Netherlands for the duration of this opportunity.

The PhD candidate will be a member of the chairgroup of Nutrition and Disease, which is led by Prof. Ellen Kampman. This PhD will be co-supervised by Drs. Agnes Berendsen and Neha Khandpur. The senior promoter of this PhD is Prof. Marianne Geleijnse.

Your qualities

1. Language:
   1. Dutch language fluency is mandatory;
   2. 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.
2. Education:
   1. a minimum of a 2 years Masters’ degree in a relevant field, such as Epidemiology, Public Health, Nutrition. 
3. Professional experience:
   1. experience in designing, conducting, and analysing both qualitative and quantitative research;
   2. excellent methodological skills (including data analysis) using statistical software like STATA or R;
   3. excellent presentation skills, and ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences including policy stakeholders in interpreting research findings;
   4. ability to lead scientific articles, technical reports, briefs, and publications;
   5. ability to interact in different cultural and professional environments and to create good working relationships at national and international levels.
4. Desirable skills and competencies:
   1. peer-reviewed publications;
   2. data management skills;
   3. a minimum of two years’ experience of work after postgraduate study;
   4. ability to work in a diverse and multidisciplinary teams;
   5. resilience, flexibility, good organizational and time management skills.

To apply please submit a CV and a cover letter. The CV must clearly state your language, education, and professional experience and the cover letter must highlight your fit with the requirements of this position.

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;
• 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 helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Drs. Agnes Berendsen, Assistant Professor, by e-mail: agnes.berendsen@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 September 16^th, 2024. We hope to schedule the first job interviews on the 23^rd and 27^th of September 2024.

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.

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, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 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, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.