PhD: Evaluating water reuse in agriculture under future effluent requirements

Are you interested in working on circular water systems? Do you enjoy working together with other scientists and societal stakeholders on fundamental research questions? Do you want to better understand if treated wastewater can safely be used for future crop irrigation?

The Department of Environmental Technology and Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), part of Wageningen University & Research are looking for a PhD candidate within the research consortium BlueVantage. BlueVantage is a large research program with scientific and societal partners that aims to tackle growing water challenges by finding new ways to reuse water safely and sustainably. To that end, BlueVantage explores new treatment technologies to remove persistent organic micropollutants (OMPS) and recover valuable resources from water, thereby ensuring a clean water cycle . The research in BlueVantage is divided over different thematic work packages in which a number of PhDs, their supervisors and societal partners together work on the ambitions of BlueVantage.

This PhD-position will be performed in a work package focussed on tools for designing and assessing circular water systems. The work in this work package will be performed in collaboration with another PhD-candidate and post-doc. You will study the safety of crop production in relation to the use of treated wastewater for irrigation. Your focus will be on organic micropollutants (OMPs) and PFAS, and if their presence in treated wastewater limits safe reuse of that water for irrigation, especially in terms of environmental and crop safety. Currently there are no clear guidelines for the presence of OMPs and PFAS in irrigation water. You will perform crucial research to help develop these guidelines while also exploring the mechanisms by which OMPs and PFAS are taken up in plants.

 Specifically, your duties and responsibilities include:

• build a model for transfer of OMPs and PFAS from treated wastewaters to crops. To that end you will collect and optimise available models and prioritise the different contaminants;
• perform experiments to validate the developed model. This will include performing plant-pot experiments and the determination of OMPs and transformation products using state-of-the-art analytical methodologies;
• identify mechanisms by which OMPs and PFAS are taken up in plants and relate these to the physical-chemical properties of these contaminants;
• take part in BlueVantage activities, such as consortium meetings, workshops, stakeholder interaction and courses;
• pro-actively communicate your research findings with partners within and outside of the BlueVantage consortium;
• publish your research in peer-reviewed journals and present your research at (inter)national conferences.

You will work here

The research is embedded within the Department of Environmental Technology, where you will be member of the “Micropollutants & Pathogens” team, which is led by Dr. Nora Sutton. You will be supervised by Dr. Milou van de Schans, Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen and Dr. Nora Sutton. Chemical analysis will be conducted in close collaboration with WFSR.

You are a pro-active communicator who enjoys working together with people from different backgrounds and organizations. You are well capable to switch from fundamental scientific discussions with scientific peers to formulating the relevance of your research within the broader scope of water reuse. You have a broad view and have experience with risk assessment concepts or fate of OMPs in plant systems, for instance during your MSc-thesis or internship. You enjoy learning and developing new concepts and models, and the experimental validation of these.

You also possess: 

• a successfully completed MSc degree in environmental sciences, plant sciences, food safety, risk assessment or related field;
• demonstratable experience or affinity with conceptual risk assessment models or experimental plant systems and chemical analysis;
• good communication skills, both written and oral, with an affinity for dissemination and collaboration with users;
• the availability to start your PhD on September 1st 2026.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• 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 receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,-  in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well. 

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. 

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.

For more information about the position, please contact Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen, via email: Stefan.vanLeeuwen@wur.nl.
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Evelien Janssen, Corporate Recruiter, via email: evelien.janssen@wur.nl.

Ready to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

To apply, please send the following documents (max. 3 pages in total for both documents):

• complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae;
• motivation letter.

The maximum length of the documents must not exceed 3 pages. If it exceeds, applications will not be considered. Additional files such as grades and transcripts are not required during this stage and will not be considered.

You can apply up to and including 25 May 2026.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/BsyxCWCSqw

Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.

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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