Full Professor and Chair of Global Nutrition

(Re-opened vacancy)

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) invites applications for the position of Full Professor and Chair of Global Nutrition. The Global Nutrition chair group is embedded within the Division of Human Nutrition and Health, an internationally renowned centre for research and education in nutrition and health, comprising five highly regarded chair groups.

The incoming chair will provide strategic and academic leadership to a vibrant, internationally oriented research group with a strong societal mission.

The mission of the Global Nutrition group is to generate the evidence base needed to eradicate all forms of malnutrition while simultaneously improving planetary health. Across low-, middle-, and high-income contexts, the group advances nutritional insights to address healthy and sustainable diets worldwide. Research ranges from individual (mal)nutrition to population diets, and from pregnancy to old age. Core areas include maternal and child nutrition, public health nutrition, and sustainable food systems, with strong expertise in dietary assessment, nutritional epidemiology, and data science.

As Chair of Global Nutrition, you will have the opportunity to further shape and expand the group’s research agenda in alignment with its mission, while developing your own scientific vision and leadership profile. Your responsibilities include:

• Setting, steering and contributing to the strategic research direction of the chair group; including acquiring funding and leading research activities on Global Nutrition topics.
• providing academic leadership and supportive mentorship to a team of scientists, lecturers, and professional staff; diverse in backgrounds and career stages
• strengthening the group’s national and international visibility and impact;
• contributing to high-quality research and education in nutrition at BSc, MSc, and PhD levels, and driving innovation in teaching and research;
• jointly managing, together with four other chair holders and an operational manager, the daily operations of the Division of Human Nutrition and Health, including strategy, finances and operational-aspects of personnel and strategic management.

The Global Nutrition group currently consists of one chair holder, three part-time professors, four associate professors, two assistant professors, two teachers, one researcher, four postdoctoral researchers, research dietitians, project managers, secretarial staff, and approximately 40 PhD candidates, many of whom are based abroad in so-called “sandwich PhD” trajectories.

The group collaborates extensively within the nutrition cluster and across all Science Groups within WUR, and maintains strong international partnerships. More information can be found on the group’s website: Global Nutrition | WUR

The Division of Human Nutrition and Health comprises approximately 240 staff members (full-time and part-time), including 125 PhD candidates and 20 postdoctoral researchers, supported by a shared team of professionals such as research dietitians, technicians, nurses, a data steward, and administrative staff and more information is available at the website (Human Nutrition and Health | WUR). The Division includes five chair groups:

1. Global Nutrition
2. Nutritional Biology
3. Nutrition and Disease
4. Nutrition, Metabolism and Genomics
5. Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour

The Division integrates nutrition research across cellular, individual, and population levels, supported by state-of-the-art facilities including a dedicated human metabolic research unit, a research kitchen, advanced dietary assessment technologies, and modern analytical and in vitro laboratories.

You are an established academic and people-centered leader with a strong commitment to research excellence, education, and societal impact. You bring:

• a PhD degree and an internationally recognised scientific track record in (aspects of) global nutrition, demonstrating clear research impact. This can be, but is not limited to, nutritional epidemiology, dietary assessment, environmental impacts of food systems and /or any form of malnutrition
• substantial international research leadership experience across diverse populations and settings; experience in low- and middle-income countries is an advantage;
• a strong alignment with the mission and research focus of the Global Nutrition group (you can find it here Global Nutrition | WUR), combined with a clear vision for future directions and innovation;
• experience in developing and stimulating innovative, sometimes unconventional, approaches in research and education in the area of (global) nutrition;
• a proven ability to build and sustain broad (inter)national networks relevant for (global) nutrition across academia, policy, societal organisations, and/or private partners;
• a successful track record in securing competitive external funding and leading collaborative, interdisciplinary projects;
• extensive education experience, using diverse and innovative teaching methods, with demonstrated contributions to curriculum development and implementation at Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD levels;
• strong mentoring and empathetic leadership skills, with experience supporting academics and professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds and fostering a safe, inclusive, and collaborative team environment;
• excellent organisational and managerial skills, with a transparent, communicative, and inclusive approach to leadership and decision-making.

You will be working for an inspiring international organisation actively engaged in a large number of interdisciplinary projects all over the world. The scientific quality of Wageningen University & Research is affirmed by the prominent position we occupy in international rankings and citation indices.

We offer you a position as Full Professor and Chair of Global Nutrition. Besides a competitive salary (maximum gross salary for starting chair holders is scale H2 step 13 € 10.441,- per month), 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. International candidates moving to the Netherlands may benefit from a special tax relief, by which a part of their salary is exempt from tax for several years. 

Working hours can be discussed to optimize the work-life balance (32-38 hours per week).

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. Furthermore, WUR offers a dual career programme for partners to assist your partner in finding a job or starting a business in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we assist you in finding schools for your children and advise you on finding housing in the region or elsewhere in the Netherlands. The Wageningen University & Research (WUR) InternationalCommunity page contains practical information about what we do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen.

We welcome inquiries and questions about the position, which can be acquired from prof. dr Spencer Moore, chair of the Appointment Advisory Committee. E-mail: spencer.moore@wur.nl (all enquiries will be treated confidentially).

For more information about the procedure you can contact Ineke Ammerlaan, Secretary of the Appointment Advisory Committee (AAC). Email: ineke.ammerlaan@wur.nl

Application

You are encouraged to upload your complete application via our website and address this to Ineke Ammerlaan, the secretary of the Appointment Advisory Committee. Four documents should be uploaded:

• A motivation letter (preferably one-page A4),
• A curriculum vitae (in total max 4-page A4)
• Statement of research and education interests, ideas on intended future developments herein, and reflection on own leadership experience (preferably one-page A4),
• A list of publications.

The closing date of the vacancy is 1 February 2026. The Committee will inform you about the status of your application no later than 25 February 2026.The Committee will interview selected candidates for this position on 3 and 4 March 2026. The Committee will thereafter invite short-listed candidates for a second interview and a public lecture on 1 April 2026

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.

​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.

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