Renger Witkamp

PhD opportunity in Nutrition, Exercise and Biological Ageing at Wageningen University & Research This PhD vacancy is part of the national BIO-COMPaSS consortium and focuses on how nutrition and exercise can slow biological ageing. The project sits at the intersection of nutrition science, exercise physiology, omics technologies, biomarkers, and data science, with a strong emphasis on personalised lifestyle interventions and healthy ageing. You will work on analysing dietary intake, physical activity, biomarker and omics data; investigating how metabolomic, proteomic and other biological markers respond to nutrition and exercise interventions; developing data-driven approaches for personalised nutrition and exercise advice; and designing and conducting a lifestyle intervention study. The role also includes publishing research findings and presenting at national and international conferences. The position is embedded in the Human Nutrition and Health chair group and the Nutritional Biology team at Wageningen University & Research. The supervision team includes Dr. Pol Grootswagers, Dr. Rob Wüst (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), and Prof. Renger Witkamp. The broader BIO-COMPaSS programme explores biological age-driven, personalised health promotion and is funded through the Netherlands Science Agenda (NWA). Applicants should hold an MSc in Human Nutrition, Nutrition and Health, Biomedical Sciences, Human Movement Sciences, Data Science, or a related field. The post looks for candidates with an interest in intervention research and quantitative analysis, experience with R, Python or similar tools, and strong analytical and communication skills. English at C1 level is expected. This is a fully funded PhD position at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. The salary starts at €3,059 per month and rises to €3,881 per month in the fourth year. The contract is initially for 18 months and may be extended for the duration of the project. Application deadline: 2026-07-06. Apply via the WUR vacancy page and complete the mandatory online form. Submit a CV (max 2 pages) and motivation letter (max 1 page); additional documents such as grades and transcripts are not required at this stage.