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PhD Position Organizing Mission-Oriented Digital Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainable Agri-Food Transitions

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PhD Position Organizing Mission-Oriented Digital Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainable Agri-Food Transitions

article_published_on_label 23 oktober 2025 Locatie Wageningen Einddatum ma 3 november 2025

Your job

Are you passionate about shaping the future of sustainable food systems through digital innovation? Wageningen University & Research is offering a unique PhD opportunity to explore how Digital Innovation Ecosystems (DIEs) can be organized to drive long-term, mission-oriented transitions in the agri-food sector.

This PhD project is part of the Mansholt Graduate School and embedded in Wageningen Economic Research (WSER) group, in collaboration with the Business Management and Organization (BMO) chair. The research will contribute to the development of actionable design principles for organizing DIEs that align digital innovation with sustainability goals.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Conducting design-oriented research to identify and translate core features of DIEs into design principles.
• Performing multi-case analysis of existing DIEs (e.g. SmartAgriHubs, FutureFoods, 4Growth) to assess organizational strategies, structures, processes, and actor configurations.
• Engaging with stakeholders through interviews, workshops, and foresight exercises to validate design principles.
• Applying and refining the DIE framework in real-world settings, including the AgData Partnership.
• Publishing scientific papers and contributing to international academic discourse.
• Participating in educational activities and presenting findings at conferences.

You will work here:

You will be based at Wageningen University, within the BMO chair group and closely connected to WSER. The project is supervised by Dr. Ir. and contributes to the newly established Special Chair on Digital Innovation Business Ecosystems for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems.

Your qualities

You are:

• Motivated by sustainability challenges and digital transformation.
• Comfortable working in interdisciplinary and multi-actor environments.
• A critical thinker with a proactive and collaborative attitude.

You have:

• A Master's degree in innovation studies, business administration, information systems, or a related field.
• Affinity with digital technologies and agri-food systems.
• Experience or interest in design-oriented research and qualitative methods.
• Strong analytical and writing skills in English (C1 level).

We offer you

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

• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• sabbatical leave, study leave, and partially paid parental leave;
• 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 € 2.753,- per month rising to € 3.519,- in the fourth year in

according to the Collective Labour Agreement Wageningen Research Foundation (scale P). This is

based on a full-time working week of 36 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. For more information, please contact ( in Agri-Food, ) or Titia Leutscher (interim Team Lead Data Science and Innovation Group).

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Jouke van Oostenbrugge, Corporate Recruiter, via .