Postdoctoral researcher on methods in photosynthesis 

Who are we? 

The Jan IngenHousz Institute (JII) is a philanthropic, open science institution dedicated to improving photosynthesis to enhance crop production. Our goal is to contribute to global food security in the face of climate change, biodiversity challenges, and population growth. Our ambition is to unravel the secrets of photosynthesis in the real world by developing a platform of sensors, methods and fundamental knowledge that enable real world measurements of photosynthesis globally. Our team consists of engineers, data scientists, biochemists, biophysicists, geneticists, plant physiologists and breeders, working collaboratively at national and international levels. The JII is located on the campus of Wageningen University & Research and closely collaborates with universities in multiple countries. 

The background of the project 

The project aims to enable the measuring of key components of the photosynthetic electron transport chain at higher precision and time resolution than is allowed by existing methods. The methods developed in this project will be applied to multiple open science data acquisition platforms, both in the field and in the lab.  

What will you do? 

You will work towards developing and validating new spectroscopic methodology to enable high resolution photosynthetic measurements both in the field and in the lab. You will work closely with a team of researchers with diverse scientific backgrounds.   

Who are you? 

• You have completed a PhD in plant biology, biochemistry, biophysics, or a related field.  

• You have experience with, or a strong interest in learning fluorescence, absorbance spectroscopy and modelling methods.  

• You have experience or a strong interest in collecting photosynthesis data and programming. 

• You are comfortable organizing and managing research projects, coordinating with team members, and ensuring the execution of project tasks. 

• Are comfortable in an open science environment and mission. 

• You thrive in highly collaborative environments, where you contribute to both your own and your colleagues' research efforts. 

• You are a proactive and independent researcher who enjoys working in a solution-oriented manner, is motivated to keep learning, and is passionate about contributing to the institute’s mission. 

• You can communicate proficiently in English, as you will work with a diverse, international team, where English is the primary language. 

What do we offer? 

• A position of 38 hours in scale 10 of the NU collective labour agreement (€3378 to €5331). Although we are not covered by a collective agreement, we follow the salary scales of the NU agreement. You will be located at the Jan IngenHousz Institute in Wageningen, NL. 

• You will receive 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% year-end bonus. 

• The project is funded for 2 years; we initially offer a one-year contract that will be extended for the second year based on good performance.  

• You will work in an intellectually stimulating and vibrant environment. 

• You will contribute to building a high impact, socially relevant institute. 

• We expect JII and your research to have global impact with partners and collaborators worldwide.  

• You will get strong support to develop your own research directions and build your career in science, including publications and development of research proposals. 

Response 

If you have questions about this position, you can contact the Program Lead Deserah Strand at dez@jii.org. Send your CV and a cover letter with a short summary of motivations and experience in an email containing the header “Postdoctoral researcher on methods in photosynthesis” to hrm@jii.org by Aug 27th, 2025. We aim to have the first interviews on Sept 12th, 2025.