Postdoc on Synthetic Microbial Communities for Plant-Based Cheese

Do you want to design microbial communities for novel foods? Are you intrigued by the possibilities of using communities and spatial structure to control flavour and nutrition in plant-based cheese? Then this postdoctoral research position could be what you’re looking for!

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will explore over the next 3 years how we can control the flavour and nutritional value of plant-based Camembert through spatiotemporal organization of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs). Fermentation of protein-rich plant-based substrates could yield cheeses that are both healthy and sustainable. However, optimizing the nutritional value and flavour of such cheese products remains an open challenge. 

This project tests the fundamental hypothesis that bottom-up designed SynComs could provide better nutrition and flavour than pure starter cultures, while offering more reproducible products compared to complex starter cultures. Specific attention will be paid to the role of spatial organization of key community members and the role of physicochemical gradients during fermentation.

Your duties and responsibilities: 

• use solid-state food fermentation techniques with diverse (i.e., pure, SynCom, and complex) starter cultures and evaluate flavour and nutrition composition;
• evaluate the spatiotemporal patterns of microbial community assembly and composition using metagenomic sequencing and microscopic techniques;
• develop mathematical models of spatiotemporal organization of SynCom-fermented plant-based cheeses to enable further control;
• work with highly interdisciplinary colleagues in a collaborative environment;
• develop and lead novel research questions, design experiments, analyze and synthesize results, and communicate outcomes at (inter)national conferences as well as publish these outcomes in peer-reviewed journals.            

Your team

You will work as a joint post-doc between the Systems & Synthetic Biology (SSB) chair group, led by Prof. Maria Suarez-Diez, and Food Microbiology (FHM), led by Prof. Marcel Zwietering. Your primary supervisors will be dr. Pieter Candry (SSB) & dr. Oscar van Mastrigt (FHM), both assistant professors at WUR. 

You will work here 

This position is funded by the VLAG Graduate School, focused on generating collaborative projects between chair groups part of VLAG. This position is part of the Academic Career Framework (ACF) at Wageningen University & Research.

You are fascinated by how microbial communities can contribute to sustainable food production and eager to understand microbial communities assembly and function. You are a highly skilled postdoctoral researcher, and ideally have both wet-lab and dry-lab experience. You are proactive, flexible, a team-player and a connector and enjoy working in different environments.

You also possess: 

• a PhD in Microbiology, Food Sciences, Biotechnology, or closely related fields;
• hands-on experience with microbial communities, microbial cultivation, and fermentation processes;
• practical experience with common techniques to analyse fermentations, including chemical analyses and sequencing-based techniques;
• experience with programming, modeling of microbial systems and/or handling complex data sets Strong spoken and written communication skills.

In our international working environment there is an increasing amount of communication in English. For this position it is about language level C1.

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 € 3.546,- and € 5.538,- 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 initially offer a one-year contract that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance, for the duration of the project. 

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. Oscar van Mastrigt, Assistant Professor Food Microbiology, via telephonenumber: +31 6 81172280 or via email: oscar.vanmastrigt@wur.nl.
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Evelien Janssen, Corporate Recruiter, via email: evelien.janssen@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 up to and including Monday June 8th, 2026. The first interviews are scheduled a couple of weeks after closure of this position. Internal candidates are preferred to apply before 19 May 2026.

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.

​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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