Job Openings
The typical route toward PhD/PD openings in The Netherlands
Like many other principal investigators (PIs), I often receive open applications. If you have contacted me by email, this page provides the relevant information in response to your inquiry, and it may also be useful for others interested in PhD or postdoctoral opportunities.
Please note that there are relatively few PhD and postdoctoral positions directly funded by Dutch universities. In most cases, PIs first develop a research proposal, either independently or as part of a consortium, and submit it to one of the national funding agencies or to the European Union.
Most funding schemes operate with fixed deadlines. Preparing a competitive proposal typically takes several months, and for larger programmes the process can take considerably longer. After submission, the evaluation process, including peer review, rebuttal, and, in some cases, an interview, may take an additional six months or more.
Once funding has been awarded and the necessary administrative procedures have been completed, recruitment can begin. Consequently, positions may become available at any time of the year and are generally not tied to academic semesters or fixed intake periods. The hiring process itself may take several more months before the project and associated positions officially start. See this link for current opportunities at Wageningen University.
Self-funded projects
I welcome inquiries from highly motivated candidates who wish to develop their own research project and seek external funding through national or international fellowship programmes. This includes individual fellowships, externally funded PhD/PD positions, and occasionally also sandwich PhD arrangements. If your research interests align with those of the group, I would be pleased to discuss potential project ideas, funding opportunities, and possibilities for collaboration. Please include a CV, a brief statement of research interests, and information on the funding scheme you are considering.
Wetsus PhD projects
See this link for more details. In short, recruitment for PhD candidates at Wetsus is generally organized in batches, with two major recruitment calls per year, usually in the spring and fall.