PhD opportunity on the diet-related consequences of obesity treatment

The PhD fellowship opportunity
The MONUCO project (MOnitoring NUtritional COnsequences of Obesity Treatment) was conceptualized to better understand the consequences of obesity treatment on women’s longer-term health, with a primary focus on musculoskeletal health. This multicentre 10-year prospective observational cohort study of approx. 1200 women will include a birth cohort. Measurements will be performed 6-weeks pre-surgery, at three and six months, and between one year and upto ten years post-surgery. Within the integrated birth cohort, measurements will be collected preconception, at each trimester during pregnancy, at two- and six-months postpartum, and between one to four years after pregnancy. The MONUCO study will capture changes in lifestyle behaviors and provide insights on the development of evidence-based guidelines for women who receive obesity treatment. The goal is to improve the health of these women and their offsprings.

In keeping with the goal of MONUCO, the specifics objectives of this PhD fellowship opportunity are to:

• explore dietary and lifestyle changes post-obesity treatment across different treatment modalities;
• explore changes related to food purchases, meal preparation, meal timings, meal frequency, meal duration, eating windows, food-related intentions (cravings and aversions etc), in populations across the different obesity treatments they receive;
• assess changes in dietary patterns, with a focus on ultra processed dietary patterns (meal composition, meal quantities) in populations receiving either pharmacological or surgical obesity treatment;
• study associations between ultra processed dietary patterns in relation to post treatment cardiometabolic health outcomes in patients receiving obesity treatment.

PhD duties and responsibilities include:

• systematically reviewing existing literature;
• developing qualitative and quantitative tool development and loading data collection;
• data analysis;
• writing scientific publications;
• presenting findings and dissemination of study results across different platforms;
• actively contributing to the activities of the Division of Nutrition and the PhD community.

Location of the PhD
The research is embedded within the chairgroup of Nutrition and Disease at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. This is a full time, in-person opportunity, and the PhD candidate is expected to live in the Netherlands for the duration of this opportunity.

The PhD candidate will be a member of the chairgroup of Nutrition and Disease, which is led by Prof. Ellen Kampman. This PhD will be co-supervised by Drs. Agnes Berendsen and Neha Khandpur. The senior promoter of this PhD is Prof. Marianne Geleijnse.

Requirements:

1. Language:
   
   1. Dutch language fluency is mandatory;
   2. for this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. It maybe necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.
2. Education:
   
   1. a minimum of a 2 years Masters’ degree in a relevant field, such as Epidemiology, Public Health, Nutrition.
3. Professional experience:
   
   1. experience in designing, conducting, and analysing both qualitative and quantitative research;
   2. excellent methodological skills (including data analysis) using statistical software like STATA or R;
   3. excellent presentation skills, and ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences including policy stakeholders in interpreting research findings;
   4. ability to lead scientific articles, technical reports, briefs, and publications;
   5. ability to interact in different cultural and professional environments and develop and maintain good working relationships at nationally and internationally levels.
4. Desirable skills and competencies:
   
   1. peer-reviewed publications;
   2. data management skills;
   3. a minimum of two years’ experience of work after postgraduate study;
   4. ability to work in a diverse and multidisciplinary teams;
   5. resilience, flexibility, good organizational and time management skills.

To apply please submit a CV and a cover letter. The CV must clearly state your language, education, and professional experience and the cover letter must highlight your fit with the requirements of this position.

Salary Benefits:

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

• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• 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 December 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 € 2.872,- per month rising to € 3.670,- 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.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

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.

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. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling. For instance under the "30% rule", certain categories of international staff can receive tax exemption on approximately 30% of their gross salary.

38 hours per week

Droevendaalsesteeg