Junior Researcher - Data Collection & Reporting in Regenerative Farming

Are you interested to work with 1000 farmers in the Netherlands and do you have affinity with data collection tools? Within the project ReGeNL, we are looking for a junior researcher to support the monitoring and learning activities within ReGENL.

There is steadily growing pressure on agriculture and the entire food system to increase global production while promoting sustainability in terms of farmers' incomes, soil health, input use, and environmental and climate impact. Regenerative agriculture is a promising avenue to support a healthy, multi-functional and future-proof soil and farming system. Together with regenerative Dutch farmers, ReGeNL is developing a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil health and nature restoration, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will start the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040.

In this role you support the monitoring and learning of the 1000 farmers in ReGeNL that commit to transition their farms to become regenerative farms. The Soil Biology group (SBL) of Wageningen University, together with partners, has the responsibility to monitor and study the changes in practices of these farmers and what the outcomes of these changes are. Key to this work is to have continuous feedback between farmers and research. This entails collecting monitoring data and providing this data back to the farmers together with insights and learning tools, to enhance learning for the farmers. In this role you focus on developing such tools for data collection and reporting back to the farmers, using your knowledge and skills on data management and (Dutch) agriculture. Apart from the Monitoring and valuing team (Line 3 of ReGeNL), you will also work closely with the Data Management team. The Data management team oversees and builds the data infrastructure for ReGeNL.

Key responsibilities will be to:

• Setup surveys or other smart data collection tools, to collect data for the outcome & result indicators of the project,
• Create insightful graphs and other graphical tools to present outcomes back to farmers,
• Develop reporting for specific groups of farmers that are for instance in a specific supply chain or a learning network together,
• Support day-to-day handling of data and data collection requests.

You will work here: The Soil Biology group regards soil life as key to sustainable (agro)ecosystems. We study the role of the soil biota in ecosystem processes at a range of scales; from life in a single soil ped to the role of soil biota in climate change at a global scale. We have state-of-the-art laboratories which facilitate this research, engaging in both developmental research through PhD, MSc, and funded projects and routine analyses for external clients.

Together with three other chair groups, the Soil Biology Group forms the Wageningen Soil Cluster, which has an excellent international reputation in soil science.

Requirements

You ideally have experience with:

• Setting up and evaluating structured surveys,
• Sharing results back to farmers and other stakeholders,
• Digital data collection software,
• Experience with R or other scripted data processing and/or dashboard building in PowerBI is perceived an advantage and/or FAIR data storage.
• Being a team player
• Strong communication skills
• Fluent use of Dutch, both in speaking and in writing, is required for this role.

Contract terms

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;
• 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 of course receive a good salary. Depending on your experience, we offer a gross salary of between €3.537,- and €5.264,- for a full-time working week of 38 hours, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale 8-9). Additionally, a contract for 32 hours can be discussed. We initially offer a one-year contract, with the possibility of renewal with one more year, subject to satisfactory performance.

If you are an internal employee, your current contract is the starting point. Ask your HR Business Partner about your situation specifically. We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.