Research Engineer for Semantic and Linked Data Technologies

We are looking for

Do you have a passion for crafting software applications and platforms that contributes to a better world? We, at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (WFBR), are working to create sustainable solutions to provide better food for more people. The applied research group Food Informatics is using new and innovative digital techniques to make that happen! We are looking for an eager R&D software engineer in our team who will be participating in applied computer science research projects.

Food Informatics is the domain that deals with digitising information of all parts of food production and consumption, combining data from various sources with expert knowledge to enable smart, new applications. This knowledge and data is made digitally available using (among other things) software frameworks, ontologies and artificial intelligence (AI), such as Bayesian networks and machine learning. Examples are a decision support system for quality management of strawberries which connects data and knowledge to ensure a timely and tasty strawberry at the end of the supply chain. For the elderly who are dependent on meals-on-wheels, a decision model was developed to provide personalized dietary advice. This advice is based on nutritional and health rules, taking into account personal characteristics and preferences. 
Together with other team members and external partners you define and develop prototype applications to validate the knowledge models that are developed within Food Informatics. You will contribute to a solid platform of the Food Informatics group which can host many software prototypes we are developing. In addition, you also cooperate in projects where you model the domain knowledge using ontologies..
The Food Informatics group is an informal working environment with the freedom to organise your work and the expectation that you take your responsibility in reaching your goals.

As a R&D Software Engineer, you will:

• Participate in projects developed iteratively and in an agile way of working with multidisciplinary teams consisting of experts from food, agriculture, ICT & data science;
• organize data and knowledge and model them in a structural way using semantic technologies (e.g.OWL, SKOS);
• participate in developing smart software applications, by integrating semantic technologies (e.g. with SPARQL queries) with smart algorithms;
• help shaping new projects with your experience and creativity, to find suitable technical solutions that add maximum value for our customers and their specific research questions;
• keep up with scientific and technological developments in the professional field to contribute the software development environment of the group;
• connect to other software engineers and researchers in our team and in the Wageningen University and Research (WUR) community to align best practices.

We ask

• You have an MSc or PhD with a background in computer science, information science or a related discipline with a software engineering background and an affinity for agrifood;
• you have knowledge of Semantic Web technology such as ontologies/graphical databases (e.g. RDF, OWL, SKOS) and triple stores (e.g. Virtuoso, rdf4j and/or GraphDB);
• you have experience in developing software (preferable in Java, using Spring and Hibernate and/or Python);
• you have experience in agile software development;
• you enjoy working in a research environment.

We offer

We offer you a meaningful job with, depending on your experience, a competitive salary and a full working week of 36 hours (minimum 0,8 FTE) in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Wageningen Research

In addition, we offer:

• 8% holiday allowance;
• a structural end-of-year bonus of 3%;
• excellent training opportunities and secondary employment conditions;
• flexible working hours and holidays can possibly be determined in consultation so that an optimal balance between work and private life is possible;
• excellent pension plan through ABP;
• 171 vacation hours, the possibility to purchase extra and good supplementary leave schemes;
•  the possibility to work a maximum of 40 hours per week and in this way build up a maximum of 204 compensation hours per year;
• a flexible model to put together part of your employment conditions yourself, such as a bicycle plan;
• a lively workplace where you can easily make contacts and where many activities take place on the Wageningen Campus. A place where education, research and business are represented;
• make use of the sports facilities on campus. 

More information

For more information about this function, please contact Henk Wensink, R&D Manager Food Informatics & Supply Chain Development, telephone 0317-485586 or by e-mail: henk.wensink@wur.nl.
For more information about the procedure, please contact Wilma Jansen, HR advisor, e-mail: 
wilma.jansen@wur.nl.

Do you want to apply?

This can be done directly via the application button at the vacancy on our website so that we can process your personal data with your permission.This vacancy is open until February 1st 2021. Job interviews will take place from 1 - 10 February 2021.

Equal opportunities employer

We are an employer that offers equal opportunities. We are happy to receive applications from all suitably qualified people regardless of race, gender, functional impairment, religion / belief, sexual orientation or age.
We believe that a diverse and inclusive working environment makes us a more relevant, competitive and resilient organization. Click here for more information about working at WUR with a functional impairment.

We are

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research develops insights and technologies that support industries, governments, and research institutes to create innovative solutions for a healthier, more sustainable, and prosperous world. Together with our clients we develop healthy and tasty food, truly-sustainable food chains, and chemicals and materials that use biomass instead of fossil resources. Our in-depth knowledge of the entire chain, from raw materials through processing to end product, drives our approach. Website: 
www.wageningenur.nl/en/fbr.

We make smart connections between various disciplines to explore complex issues from different perspectives. Through a combination of intelligent analyses and pragmatic invention, we find solutions for these issues. Grounded in science and business, our researchers bring a no-nonsense attitude to their work. We investigate and develop at all stages: upscaling from lab to pilot and from initial idea to production processes that deliver real products for our customers. We have direct access to the latest scientific findings and have a firm grasp of what modern technology offers. Every day, we work with national and global companies, governments and other research institutes to create innovative solutions; now and in the future.

The mission of our University is to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. Within Wageningen University & Research, nine specialised research institutes from the Wageningen Research Foundation and Wageningen University have joined forces to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. 

With approximately 30 locations, 6,500 employees, and 12,000 students, it is one of the leading organisations in its domain worldwide. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of the unique approach of Wageningen. We have been named Best Employer in Education category 2019-2020.

Click here for more information about working at Wageningen University & Research.

More information about Wageningen Campus you can find here.