Sander De Leeuw

Wageningen University & Research is advertising a PhD position in Optimization of Sustainable Agri-Food Supply Chains under Climate Risk . The project sits at the intersection of operations research, optimization, climate resilience, sustainable food systems, and data science , with a focus on redesigning agricultural supply chains that can withstand droughts, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related shocks. The research is embedded in the Operations Research and Logistics chair group and is part of the Horizon Europe project TIPPING , a large European initiative on climate intelligence tools for agriculture. The PhD will work on stochastic and robust optimization, uncertainty modelling, large-scale supply chain design, and algorithms for complex optimization problems, using real-world case studies to improve facility location, storage, processing capacity, procurement, and inventory decisions. Eligibility highlights: applicants should have an MSc in a relevant field such as operations research, applied mathematics, (bio-systems) engineering, or computer/data science; experience with mathematical programming and robust/stochastic optimization is preferred; knowledge of agricultural and environmental systems in Northwest Europe is requested; strong programming and English skills are important, with C1-level English expected. Funding: this is a fully funded PhD position with salary progression from €3,059 to €3,881 per month (gross, full-time 38 hours/week), plus a tailored course programme. The contract is initially for 18 months and may be extended for the project duration if performance is good. Application: apply via the WUR vacancy page and complete the mandatory online form. Submit a CV and motivation letter only, with a maximum total length of 3 pages. The deadline shown in the post is 17 August 2026 .