VLAG courses and conferences

VLAG Graduate School forms a community of research and post-graduate education in the areas of Biobased, Biomolecular, Food, and Nutrition Sciences. The Graduate School provides a platform for high-quality post-graduate education and professional development of young researchers.

For detailed information please visit VLAG webpage: http://www.vlaggraduateschool.nl/en/courses.htm

1. VLAG Scientific courses

The graduate school organises a large number of advanced scientific courses. Topics chosen for these courses are of particular interest to PhD candidates within VLAG, but the courses are also open to external participants.  Some courses are organised annually, but most are organised every two or three years. All courses are in English.

  • Advanced Organic Chemistry
    Advanced course for WUR PhD candidates
  • Energy metabolism and body composition
    The course consists of 5 course sessions, with a series of key-lectures, discussions, and group exercises. Course sessions will be interactive and given by experts form inside and outside Wageningen University. Some preparation for the sessions is asked, e.g. reading papers, watching clips. In addition there are some places available to present own (future) work in the area of body composition and energy metabolism in the presence of experts (‘Master class’).
  • Healthy Food Design
    This course provides the essential skills for designing healthy foods for specific categories of consumers in the European legislative framework of nutritional and health claims.
  • Modelling of habitual dietary intake
    In the evaluation of dietary intake of populations, one is often interested in the habitual (usual) intake, i.e. the long-term average intake. For example to estimate the proportion of a population that meets nutritional recommendations. In food consumption surveys, dietary intake is generally collected with short-term measurements, 24-hr recalls or food records. The dietary intake of an individual can vary considerably from day to day. Consequently, intake measured over a limited number of days will be a poor indicator of the individual as well as population’s habitual intake. Statistical modelling makes it possible to estimate the population's habitual intake distribution from repeated short-term measurements. In this course the focus will be on statistical modelling of habitual intake using SPADE (Statistical Program to Assess Dietary Exposure).
  • VLAG Online lecture series
    To introduce the numerous great topics that our researchers are working on, we are organising a series of live online VLAG expert lectures.
  • Reaction kinetics in food science
    The aim of the course is to acquire in-depth knowledge about kinetic modelling, and to apply and use kinetics in food science problems using modern software.
  • Safety by Design
    Safe-by-design as a driver for innovation in Biotechnology This course aims to share the current status of Safe-by-Design concepts, and to train (future) scientists to assess all aspects of projects, from the project idea through the research phase to the final product, with relation to potential safety aspects.
  • Sensory perception & food preference: into the Future! (SENS20)
    This course is to acquire expertise regarding sensory perception and food preferences; to obtain knowledge and experience in different methods on how to measure (and analyse) these aspects; to connect with other professionals/colleagues in the field.

2. General courses

General courses deal with various issues relevant for the professional and personal development of PhD candidates.
VLAG organises the following general courses:

  • VLAG PhD week
  • Philosophy and Ethics of Food Science and Technology
  • various Statistics courses

VLAG also contributes to the organisation of general/skills courses jointly organised by Wageningen Graduate Schools. For detailed information please visit: https://wgs.crs.wur.nl/

  • Chemometrics
    Each day consists of lectures and practicals using R. Examples of datasets delivered by the course participants in advance will be used in the lectures and practicals when possible.
  • VLAG PhD week
    The aim of the PhD week is to make freshman PhD candidates aware of the importance of the professional skills such as presentation techniques, scientific writing, project management, science ethics, ... in the research arena. Moreover this week aims at network formation within the VLAG PhD community, and getting insight into the wide spectrum of scientific research being carried out within the Graduate School. More at: http://www.vlaggraduateschool.nl/en/courses/General-courses/VLAG-general-courses/VLAG-PhD-week.htm
  • Introduction to R
    The aim is to provide an introduction to R, a computer language and environment for statistics and graphics. The course will focus on getting familiar with the R environment by means of RStudio, to use R for manipulation and exploration of data and to perform simple analysis. Basic programming as well as visualization of results in R will also be part of this course.
  • RMarkdown
    vooringevuld voor nieuwe cursussen

3. VLAG conferences

  • International Symposium on Polyelectrolytes
    The meeting is the 12th in the ISP series of conferences started in 1995, on the physics and physical chemistry of polyelectrolytes, with a focus on understanding how electrostatic interactions determine and influence the behaviour of synthetic and biological charged macromolecules in solution, in complexes and at interfaces.
  • VLAG Celebrates 25th Anniversary
    VLAG Graduate School celebrates its silver jubilee!