Leonie Bentsink

Wageningen University & Research is advertising multiple openings in the plant domain, including PhD and postdoc opportunities in plant science, controlled-environment agriculture, mechanobiology, and insect developmental biology. PhD: Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging & Canopy Photosynthesis This project focuses on plant physiology, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, canopy-level photosynthesis, microclimate gradients, and greenhouse/vertical-farm experiments. The work is embedded in the Horticulture and Product Physiology group at Wageningen University & Research and linked to the GreenControl programme, funded by NWO and industry partners. The project is supervised in the team of Silvere Vialet-Chabrand and Prof. Leo Marcelis. Applicants need a completed MSc in plant sciences, plant physiology, environmental sciences, physics, engineering, computational biology, or a related field, plus experience in experimental plant physiology, modelling/data analysis, or image processing. English at C1 level is expected. The position is fully funded and includes a salary, training, and a temporary contract with extension based on performance. PhD: Evolution of novel female sexual differentiation genes in parasitoid wasps This PhD is in entomology, molecular biology, insect development, sex determination, genomics, transcriptomics, phylogenetics, RNA interference, and CRISPR/Cas9. The project studies parasitoid wasps such as Nasonia vitripennis and related species to understand female sexual differentiation and the evolution of novel genes. It is embedded in the Laboratory of Entomology and supervised by Prof. Bregje Wertheim, Dr. Eveline Verhulst, and Dr. Julien Rougeot. Applicants should have a completed MSc in biology or biotechnology, with affinity for molecular biology, bioinformatics, small insects, microinjection, and scientific writing. English at C1 level is expected. The PhD is fully funded and part of an NWO-funded VICI project. Postdoc: GreenTE seed germination This postdoctoral position is in plant science, biochemistry, mechanobiology, seed germination, and plant molecular biology. The GreenTE project investigates how plants sense and respond to mechanical stimuli, with this subproject focusing on how mechanical responses during seed germination are converted into biochemical signals and integrated with transcriptome, translatome, and phosphoproteome data. The work is based at the Wageningen Seed Science Centre under the supervision of Prof. dr. Leónie Bentsink. Applicants need a PhD in Plant Science and/or Biochemistry, experience in interdisciplinary research and plant molecular biology, and strong English communication skills at C1 level. The postdoc is part of a consortium of seven Dutch universities and offers a competitive salary and a one-year contract extendable for two more years. Application window The PhD positions close in May 2026 (20–26 May depending on the vacancy). The postdoc closes on 11 May 2026. Applications must be submitted through the WUR vacancy pages, and only applications submitted via the website will be considered. Additional vacancies mentioned The post also lists a greenhouse climate technical specialist role and an electrical technician role at WUR, but these are not academic degree openings. The post highlights WUR’s international environment, visa support, and standard employment benefits.