PhD in Modelling Food Supply Chains with Shelf-Life Control and Pricing Wageningen University and Research in Netherlands

Wageningen University and Research is advertising a fully funded PhD position in modelling food supply chains with shelf-life control and pricing. The project is part of the SCOPE collaboration (Shelf-life Control, Optimized Pricing, and Excess Redistribution) involving the Operations Research and Logistics group at Wageningen University and the Zero Hunger Lab at Tilburg University, with industry partners.

The research is centered on food supply chains, optimization, stochastic optimization, dynamic pricing, redistribution, and food waste reduction. The successful candidate will develop mathematical optimization models and algorithms to support decisions on coordination, shelf-life agreements, production and redistribution planning, pricing of perishable products, and donation of surplus food to food banks.

Applicants should have a completed MSc degree in a relevant field such as Operations Research, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or Machine Learning. Strong quantitative skills are expected, especially in mathematical programming, stochastic dynamic programming, simulation, and related software/programming tools. An interest in food industry collaboration and food banks is preferred, and English proficiency at C1 level is required.

The position is appointed at Wageningen University and Research and supervised by Dr. Rene Haijema and Dr. Yasemin Merzifonluoglu, under the broader leadership of Prof. Dr. ir. Sander de Leeuw. The role includes collaboration with MSc thesis and internship students, support for teaching as needed, and the goal of publishing four scientific papers in ISI-ranked Q1 journals.

Funding includes a full PhD salary under Dutch university collective agreements, starting at €3,059 per month in year one and rising to €3,881 per month in year four. The contract is initially for 18 months and may be extended for the project duration if performance is satisfactory.

The application deadline is 2026-05-30. Applicants must apply via the WUR vacancy page and submit a CV and motivation letter with a combined maximum length of 3 pages. A mandatory additional information form must also be completed. Only applications submitted through the official website will be considered.