Postdoctoral researcher Phylogenomics and metagenomics

Come join our Microbial Evolution research team at the Laboratory of Microbiology of Wageningen as postdoctoral researcher. You will work in a large team of skilled and motivated researchers (PhD students and postdocs), technicians and students that are developing and applying state of the art research tools to identify and characterize novel microorganisms. 

Activities will include:

• Metagenomic analyses of environmental samples, including screening, (co)assembly and binning of collections of metagenomic datasets
• Comparative genomic analyses of obtained metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs), including assessment of quality (completeness, contamination, etc)
• Functional annotation of obtained MAGs, including prediction of metabolic and cellular properties
• Phylogenomic analyses of obtained MAGs, including extraction and evaluation of marker genes, performing ML and Bayesian analyses of (concatenated) marker gene sets using suitable evolutionary models
• Development and implementation of novel phylogenetic approaches, including those implementing protein structural information.

We are looking for a candidate that:

• Has a PhD degree in Bioinformatics, Microbiology, or a related field;
• Has extensive experience with performing phylo- and metagenomic analyses;
• Has extensive programming skills (e.g. Python, R, bash) and experience with HPC;
• Is able to work in a structured and organized way;
• Has good communication skills;
• Is a team player that is able to work in an international and multidisciplinary research team;
• Is intrinsically motivated to master new techniques, and has a ‘can-do’ mentality.

In our international working environment there is a large amount of communication in English. For this position, a minimum proficiency is expected at 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). We offer you a temporary contract for the duration of 36 months for 1 fte, that can be extended - if possible within (company) organizational circumstances - on good performance. 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.

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 this position, please contact Thijs Ettema, Professor & Chairgroup holder, thijs.ettema@wur.nl. 

For more information about the procedure, please contact Evelien Janssen, corporate recruiter evelien.janssen@wur.nl.

You can apply until March 2 2026. 

​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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