Research Technician in Process Engineering

Your job

Are you passionate about solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges? You want your impact to be felt in the field of novel functional food, feed, nutraceutical, medical and platform ingredients? You are in luck! The Bioprocess Engineering Chair (BPE) of Wageningen University, The Netherlands, just opened a vacancy for an exceptional, motivated and results-driven research technician within the field of process control and engineering for biomass processing.

What will you be doing?
You will be providing support in tackling innovative projects in cooperation with various industry and academia partners. Research emphasis is on unit operations in the bioprocess engineering chain. In this regard, you will train students involving various processing protocols and assist PhD and postdoctoral fellows with their daily research tasks. Moreover, you will develop new biomass processing protocols and SOPs using both established approaches (solvent based) as well as more novel ones such as external fields, enzymes, membranes and functionalized particles, just to name a few. These activities will be performed at the BPE research laboratory. You will manage the flow of consumables, various aspects of daily lab activities and support preparing project reports.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• student mentorship and training;
• asist researchers within their projects;
• develop and improve new protocols and SOPs;
• management of the lab.           

Your team
BPE is one of the most influential biotechnology research groups for food, feed, nutraceutical and platform-molecule applications. The group is leveraging its unique blend of bench-scale cultivation, extraction, purification and analytics, alongside its pilot-scale AlgaePARC research infrastructure. This makes it a one-of-a-kind platform able to directly translate innovative research into industry-relevant technologies.

Your qualities

Your Qualities
You are passionate about both established as well as novel processing technologies. You have a strong background in biomass process technology and control and you like hands-on technical tasks like troubleshooting equipment malfunction and in-house modifications as well as some light programming such as LabVIEW. Moreover, you have lab management experience, are proactive and always bring solutions whenever faced with problems. You are both a team player as well as able to independently draft and execute your research tasks. You have strong time-management skills and able to easily communicate both with students as well as senior academic staff.

You also possess (Must-haves):

• BSc (HBO) or MSc in the field of process and control technologies or similar;
• experience with various biomass processing technologies such as milling, chromatography, spray drying and solvent extractions;
• affinity for light programming; 
• good English language proficiency.

These will further improve your chances:

• hands-on experience with troubleshooting lab-scale processing equipment;
• lab management experience;
• involved in student supervision;
• 1-2 years of relevant experience in industry or academia.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about good to excellent.

WUR welcomes applications from international candidates. However, for applicants for this specific position from outside the EU/EFTA zone, immigration restrictions may apply based on Dutch and EU immigration laws. Such candidates may be eligible for an “orientation year” in the Netherlands or a visa as a “knowledge migrant”.

You will work here:
Bioprocess Engineering teaches and develops innovative bio-based processes. We work on a sustainable and healthy future by engineering efficient bioprocesses for high quality products. Bioprocess Engineering studies and develops photoautotrophic and heterotrophic production systems for biobased products, as well as high-quality processes for the production of biopharmaceuticals.

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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a competitive gross salary of between €2899,- and €4298,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 7-8). As for your contract, we initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance. Of course, we are happy to have a conversation with you if you have any questions about this.

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. If you come with a partner, we offer a Dual Career group program organized by our Welcome Center. This program helps your partner to get familiar with the Dutch culture, labour market and assists your partner to find a job.

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 coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account 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 dr. IZ (Iulian) Boboescu, Team Lead Biorefinery Group, via email: iulian.boboescu@wur.nl.

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Rutger Voorrips, Corporate Recruiter, via e-mail: rutger.voorrips@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 March 31^st,  2025. The first interviews are scheduled shortly after the closing date.

Procedure
As part of our selection process, an assessment may be incorporated within the procedure

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’.

We pursue this mission through a synergistic approach between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation (applied research). Our research focuses on questions within the domains of food, living environment, and society. With approximately 30 locations, 7,700 staff members, 2,500 PhD candidates, and over 13,000 students, Wageningen University & Research is among the world’s leading knowledge institutions in its domain. The integral approach to challenges and the collaboration across various disciplines form the core of the unique Wageningen approach.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR.

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves and do not appreciate unasked for services from recruitment agencies. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.