Assistant or Associate Professor Water Quality

Your job

Water systems are vital for all life on earth but are threatened by global change, including population increase, increased water use, pollution and climate change, including their extremes. The Water Systems and Global Change (WSG) chair within the Earth Systems and Global Change group is uniquely able to study the water system in relation to global change and to provide an integrated approach to improve sustainable water security by combining the domains of hydrology, water quality, crop modelling, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and climate services.
We work from local to global scales and with partners inside and outside academia. In our group we develop models to assess water pollution hotspots for multiple pollutants and their sources (e.g., MARINA), associated impacts (e.g., GlowPa) and future trends to identify synergetic solutions. We link them with our hydrological (VIC), crop (Wofost) and other models to increase understanding of water scarcity issues for different sectors, such as irrigation, under climate change and socioeconomic developments.

To strengthen our team, consisting of assistant, associate and full professors, postdocs, PhDs and scientific programming support staff, we have a vacancy for an Assistant or Associate professor in the domain of water quality. In this position you will be expected to develop your research niche around water quality modeling in a global change context, in close collaboration with other staff in the group and beyond.
Focus areas could be, but are not limited to 1) modelling water quality at large scale and coupling the water quality model to our ‘in-house’ hydrological VIC-WUR model or other models in order to answer questions on clean water availability for relevant sectors, 2) modelling impacts of water pollution on sectors, such as human health (microbial pollution), food security (chemical pollution) and/or ecosystem health (e.g., nutrient, chemical and plastics pollution) across spatial and temporal scales, 3) developing future pathways for adaptation / mitigation and/or water quality services building on water quality model results.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• establish your own research team in the water quality subgroup  as part of the Earth Systems and Global Change group, with a focus on water quality modeling;
• acquire competitive research funding to develop your own team;
• supervise and coach BSc and MSc students, PhD candidates and postdocs;
• teach and coordinate courses at BSc and MSc levels;
• contribute to the Earth Systems and Global Change group, the University and the scientific community.

This position is part of the Academic Career Framework at Wageningen University & Research, which has replaced the traditional Tenure Track. This new career framework for all academic staff at Wageningen University started on 9 March 2025. One of the 3 career paths is the Professor Career Path. The aim of this ACF is to achieve a new balance in recognising and valuing academics where both team collaboration and the unique talent of individual scientists are seen, by creating more differentiation in career paths, putting the emphasis on the quality of work and less on quantitative results, doing justice to the individual qualities and ambitions of academics as much as to team performance, promoting all aspects of open science and encouraging high-quality leadership in the academy.

Your qualities

You are an enthusiastic scientist in the field of water quality and global change. You are a team player committed to an inclusive, international working environment with a passion for water quality. You are enthusiastic to contribute to societal impacts and academic services. You have demonstrated success in acquiring interest in your work and you are ready to develop your own niche within the Earth Systems and Global Chane group. You are eager to teach in the field of your own research topic and the broader Water Systems and Global Change field.

The ideal candidate also possess:

• a PhD in water quality modelling, hydrology, or a related environmental field;
• a promising academic record and demonstrated research skills in the field of the research niche;
• openness to large scale (global scale) water quality modelling;
• advanced quantitative and programming skills, preferably for spatial data analysis and modeling;
• some relevant teaching experience;
• experience with supervision of BSc and MSc students, and/or PhD candidates;
• an active network in water quality communities;
• experience with or vision on attracting funds to continue and expand your research;
• proficiency in English, both written and oral.

In case you fulfil some, but not yet all criteria, you are also encouraged to apply!

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chairgroup Earth Systems and Global Change, more specifically under the chair of Water Systems and Global Change, and part of the Water Quality subgroup, which is led by Prof. Nynke Hofstra and Dr. Maryna Strokal.

In this challenging career trajectory:

• you acquire, lead and implement innovative and creative(inter-) national research projects in Water Systems and Global Change;
• 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 Earth Systems and Global Change group.

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 year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will be offered a fixed-term, 18 months contract which, upon positive evaluation, can lead to a permanent employment contract. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €4.537,- and €7.651,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 11 -13).

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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 the position, please contact Nynke Hofstra, professor of Water Systems and Global Change, via +31 317 485121 or email: Nynke.hofstra@wur.nl.

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Noorien Abbas, Corporate Recruiter, via noorien.abbas@wur.nl .

Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

You can apply until 5th of May 2025. The first interviews will be scheduled the 14th of May 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.