Full Professor and Chair of Molecular Biology

Full Professor and Chair of Molecular Biology

We are looking for

Wageningen University & Research is looking for a full professor (0.8 - 1.0 fte) to lead the Molecular Biology group. The Molecular Biology group studies the molecular and cellular processes of plant development and how these processes respond to the environment. We are eager and excited to recruit a new professor who offers synergistic research and concrete future plans for research and teaching. 

As a full professor of Molecular Biology at Wageningen University & Research you will lead your own independent research team and head the Molecular Biology group. As head of Molecular Biology, you will lead and support a diverse and multidisciplinary team of seven permanent research staff, three associated personal/endowed professors, and two education and research technicians. Your management style offers supportive leadership and will help to support and increase the team’s synergy. You will strengthen the group’s position in (inter)national networks by developing new lines of research and by consolidating established research lines and education. You will also be responsible for the personnel and financial management, educational tasks, and the research strategy of the group.

The embedding of the professorship facilitates numerous opportunities for collaboration with other leading plant scientists. The Molecular Biology group together with the Cell Biology group (including the Wageningen Light Microscopy centre) forms the Plant Developmental Biology cluster. The cluster Plant Developmental Biology is embedded in the Plant Sciences Group, one of five science groups at Wageningen University & Research, which has state-of-the-art tools and facilities. The Plant Sciences Group comprises 19 chair groups and 8 applied research groups. The Plant Developmental Biology cluster is affiliated with the Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS). In the context of the graduate school there is a close collaboration with the chair groups Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

We ask

• You have a relevant PhD degree and an internationally proven scientific track record in the molecular biology of plant development. You have experience with developing a research programme in the area of molecular plant developmental biology and you have concrete long-term ideas on the development of this field and your own research. You have experience in leading a team of professionals in a collegial and supporting leadership style characterized by people’s development, team building and creating synergy. You have experience in developing and maintaining a broad international network. You have experience in teaching undergraduate students and supervising PhD students. You have experience and were successful in attracting funding as a PI. You have experience with interesting and motivating students in teaching and with supervising students with diverse backgrounds. You have experience in developing courses at Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD level, and you are interested in innovative teaching methods.

We offer

Wageningen University & Research is a dynamic and inspiring international organization with many interdisciplinary projects all over the world. A strong commitment to teaching and fundamental research, combined with innovative applied research, creates a rich learning environment. Our students – the innovators of tomorrow – also benefit from first-class research and educational facilities. The scientific quality of Wageningen University is affirmed by the prominent position we occupy in international rankings and citation indexes. Dutch students voted Wageningen University & Research as the best university in the Netherlands for the past fifteen years in a row.

We offer you a position as a full Professor and Chair of the Developmental Biology of Biotic and Environmental Interactions group. With this position we offer:

• State of the art light microscopy facilities. State of the art greenhouse facilities. Access to a broad range of other facilities and equipment. Technical support. Administrative/HR/Financial support.

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a number of additional benefits, such as an end-of-year extra month’s salary, a holiday allowance and a pension plan with the Dutch pension fund for government and education. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief, where 30% of their salary is exempt from tax for the first five years. Working hours can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance.

Coming from abroad

We are a globally leading university in the 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. The university’s highly qualified team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. Finally a specialized organization will assist your partner one on one in finding a job or starting a business in the Netherlands, and besides that WUR offers a dual career program that helps partners through a group based program. Furthermore, we can assist you in finding schools for your kids and assist you with finding accommodation in the region or elsewhere in the Netherlands.

The Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains further practical information about what we do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen.

More information

Further information about the position can be obtained from Professor Eric Schranz, Chair of the Appointment Advisory Committee by email: eric.schranz@wur.nl, or phone: +31 317 483 175.

If you would like more detailed information on the profile and the Chair group, please do not hesitate to contact Ingrid Vleghels, executive secretary of the committee at ingrid.vleghels@wur.nl.

Application

You are invited to send your complete application via the respond-button on top of this page. Please upload a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a separate list of publications and a 1000-word (max) statement of research and education interests and intended direction. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 26 October 2022.

The Appointment Advisory Committee will interview selected candidates for this position online on Friday 18 November. The Committee will thereafter invite short-listed candidates for a second interview and a public lecture in Wageningen on Friday December 16.

Equal opportunity employer

WUR employs many people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who encourage and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organization and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. The policy of WUR is to increase the number of women and international professors. For more information please go to our inclusivity webpage. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

Wageningen University & Research

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.

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.