Full Professor and Chair of Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles

Wageningen University is recruiting an inspiring professor and chair holder to lead the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles Group. The Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles Group focuses on the design and evaluation of theory-based interventions to foster healthy lifestyles and in particular food consumption. The Group aims to understand the drivers of healthy consumption and lifestyles among individuals and groups, and how smartly designed intervention strategies (also including policy interventions) can enable desired behavioural change. There is a focus on food consumption in everyday behaviour of the general population.

The Chair Group has strong expertise in theories of behavioural change in its application towards health and healthy behaviour of diverse target groups in the Netherlands and Europe. The Group takes on a social-ecological perspective towards fostering public health, with due attention to individuals, the social groups in which they operate and the environmental factors that may facilitate or hinder behavioural change. Intervention design and evaluation addresses social, psychological and technological mechanisms in everyday food consumption behaviours in different contexts (including care and workplace). The Group works in close collaboration with other chair groups at WUR such as the Health and Society Group and the Division of Human Nutrition and Health, as well as with stakeholders within the public health domain.

The new chair holder will foster a vibrant academic climate, provide a supportive working environment for academics and early career scholars, and help maintain the Group’s good track record in publications, acquisitions, education, and societal impact.

The chair holder will enable the Group’s research ambitions by further strengthening its position in national and international networks, strategically develop collaboration within and outside Wageningen University & Research and strengthening and aligning the established research lines as well as pursuing novel ideas. Strategically and organizationally, with the Chair of the adjacent Health and Society Group, the new chairholder will drive the establishment of a “Health Centre” to integrate and synergize the health-related research within the Department of Social Sciences and WUR.

The Chair Group teaches a range of bachelor and master courses and supervises students of 3 interdisciplinary BSc and 5 MSc programmes of Wageningen University. The successful applicant will play an active role in strengthening the Group’s education programme and contribute to novel educational strategies at Wageningen University.

Take a look at the Group’s website to learn more about our ground-breaking research projects, education and outreach activities.

Requirements:

As a successful candidate, you:

• Have a strong background in intervention research to facilitate healthy lifestyles and notably food consumption practices; with a PhD degree in a relevant field of social sciences;
• Are a renowned scholar with profound knowledge of socio-ecological and behavioural change theories to encourage healthy behaviour of the general population and its diverse groups (e.g., inhabitants of municipalities, students, ethnic minority and disadvantaged groups, older individuals);
• Have a track record of scientific publications of recognized international quality that show your interest and experience in inter- and transdisciplinary research;
• Are an inspiring teacher and supervisor for students and young scholars of diverse backgrounds, with proven ability to develop courses at Bachelor, Master, and PhD level, and a vision on and capacity to innovate teaching methods;
• Have an inspiring vision for future research and education of the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles Group;
• Enjoy leading a vibrant academic chair group with passion to develop people and create synergy;
• Have experience in leading academic professionals with an inspiring, unifying, supportive and inclusive leadership style and proven financial and operational management skills;
• Possess a proven capacity of acquiring, leading, and managing externally funded research projects.

If you recognize yourself in the majority of this profile, have demonstrable affinity and relevant experience, and are open to further develop yourself, we invite you to apply.

Salary Benefits:

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 the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles Group. Besides a competitive salary (maximum gross salary for starting chair holders is € 9,680 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).

Coming from abroad
We are a globally leading university in the life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world. Wageningen University, 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. For partners we have a dual career program to help them find work in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we can assist you in finding schools for your children and assist you with finding housing in the region or elsewhere in the Netherlands.

38 hours per week

Droevendaalsesteeg