Postdoctoral researcher Enabling plant protein concentrates for extrusion

Are you a talented doctoral graduate who has a passion for doing research on development of sustainable processing technologies for making plant protein ingredients? Do you want to perform dry fractionation and agglomeration trials to improve functionality of legume ingredients? Do you want to understand rheology of hydrated ingredient blends to predict extrusion behaviour for meat analogue processing? We have a vacancy for a postdoc position at the Laboratory of Food Process Engineering! Will you join our team?

What are you going to do?
As postdoctoral researcher, you will be working in the ECONEXT (Enabling protein CONcentrates for EXTrusion) project. The objective of the project is to develop science-based strategies to develop dry fractionation into the dominant processing technology for the production of plant-based protein ingredients as an alternative for the current energy intensive wet fractionation processes. While dry-fractioned protein concentrates have a lower environmental impact compared to their wet-fractioned counterparts, their applicability in food products is still limited. Because of the production process, dry-fractionated protein concentrates are inherently very fine powders, which have poor flowing properties. This can hamper their application in industrial processes, such as during the production of meat analogues via extrusion. In extrusion, the flowability of a protein powder is important during the dosing into the extruder or preconditioner.

You will:

• Develop processing strategies to improve flowability of ingredients using for example fluidized bed agglomeration;
• Perform powder rheology to characterise the improvement of agglomeration on powder flowability;
• Carry out closed cavity rheometry (CCR) on hydrated protein ingredients. CCR allows the application of high torques to high dry matter samples at high temperatures without evaporation. Extrusion-relevant rheological properties of biopolymer mixtures will be investigated in this way.

Besides research, you also will be involved in the education of our chair group so you can strengthen your skills in teaching/coaching students, such as the course Product and Process Design. You will also be given the opportunity to supervise BSc/MSc thesis students on topics related to the two research projects as described above. As a postdoctoral researcher, further development of your competences will be supported by the chair group. For example, Wageningen Graduate Schools (WGS) offers competences, skills and career-oriented courses for postdoctoral researchers. The postdoctoral researcher will be given the opportunity to take some of those courses.
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 € 3.378,- and € 5.331,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 10). As for your contract, we offer you a temporary contract for the duration of two years. 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.
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, dual career programs 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. 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. You:

• Have a completed doctoral degree in food process engineering or a related field.
• Have research experience in or have affinity with plant ingredient fractionation, extrusion and/or powder processing.
• Are a creative, enthusiastic, independent researcher with team spirit, good communication skills, and lab skills.
• Are motivated for coaching BSc/MSc thesis students, and working together with internal/external partners from different backgrounds.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1 . For more information about the position, please contact Prof. Maarten Schutyser, Full Professor, via email: [email protected].
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Rutger Voorrips, Corporate Recruiter, via [email protected]

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 August 18th, 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.