PhD Digital Innovation and Sustainable Trade in Africa (STREAMING Project)

Are you passionate about leveraging digital innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) to drive sustainable trade and food systems in Africa? Do you want to contribute to bridging the gap between academia, industry, and policy to create real-world impact? Join the STREAMING project as a PhD researcher and be part of a transformative initiative aimed at fostering fair, healthy, and environmentally sustainable trade practices across Africa and Europe. If so, this PhD position might be for you!

The STREAMING project seeks to address the challenges of sustainable trade within Africa and between Africa and Europe and help transform the informal food sector and its climate resilience by promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and the adoption of digital solutions in African food systems. As a PhD researcher, you will play a key role in advancing the project’s objectives, particularly in the areas of digitalisation, transparency in the food sector, and sustainable trade practices.

You will analyse the gaps between current and desired future states of digital adoption in African trade systems and contribute to providing actionable recommendations for policy and practice. You will conduct cutting-edge research on the adoption and scaling of digital solutions, including AI, to enhance trade transparency, traceability, and certification in Africa. You will investigate trade systems and compliance with global transparency standards for trade, including the adoption of global standards (e.g., GS1, UN-EDIFACT) and traceability applications for farmers, producers, traders, and other stakeholders. In collaboration with ministries, trade organisations, and stakeholders, you will contribute to the implementation of digital innovation platforms and advance national digital platforms, such as the iHUZO and IREMBO platforms in Rwanda, to support intra-African and Africa-EU trade.

You will be part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary research team within the STREAMING project, collaborating with leading universities, research institutions, and industry partners across Africa and Europe. You will publish high-quality research articles and present findings at international conferences to disseminate knowledge and influence policy. The project offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of digital innovation, sustainable trade, and policy analysis, with a focus on real-world impact.

You will work here
This PhD position is embedded in the Information Technology Group at Wageningen University. The candidate will be co-supervised by Dr.ir Ayalew Kassahun and Dr. Cor Verdouw.

Requirements:

You have:

• A master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., business information systems, agri-food supply chain management, supply chain analytics, data Science, AI, or related disciplines);
• A strong interest or experience in digital innovations and sustainable trade systems, with a focus on Africa or Africa-Europe trade;
• Interest in conduct interdisciplinary research and work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, and willingness to travel to Africa for fieldwork and engage stakeholders;
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken, with the ability to engage with academic, industry, and policy audiences;
• Proactive with the ability to take initiatives;
• Information system modelling and design and data science skills and experience is a plus;
• For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognized Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

You are:

• interested in working in an interdisciplinary team covering different backgrounds;
• open to feedback;
• able to work independently;
• eager to learn and to develop new skills;
• committed to open science;
• organized, flexible and have attention to details.

Salary Benefits:

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 2.901,- per month rising to € 3.707,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

38 hours per week

Droevendaalsesteeg