KU Leuven announces the vacancy of full-time positions for junior or senior 'research professors', which are open to leading and internationally recognised scientists with diverse research profiles from all scientific fields. As members of the independent academic staff (ZAP), these research professors have, in addition to other academic tasks, the primary responsibility of conducting scientific research of a high international standard in their field.
We are looking for inspiring, motivated and internationally recognised academics with an excellent research record and teaching competence in the indicated field. The appointment is scheduled to start on 1 September 2027. Applications will be evaluated in parallel and independently by 1) the KU Leuven Research Council in a competitive procedure across all research domains and 2) the relevant faculty advisory committee.
These research professor positions will be funded for the first 10 years with funds made available specifically for this purpose by the Flemish Government through the Special Research Fund (BOF), and the positions are therefore designated with the abbreviation 'BOFZAP'. During those first 10 years, teaching obligations will be limited. After this period, the BOFZAP position will be converted into a regular academic position (ZAP) with higher expectations in terms of teaching and service provision.
Website unit
Duties
Research
BOFZAP's mission is to develop an internationally competitive research programme, pursue excellent scientific results and (further) expand a national and international network. Candidates must have a strong research profile or, in the case of junior candidates, be able to demonstrate the potential to achieve this. Candidates must be willing to collaborate intensively with other researchers and research units at KU Leuven.
The candidate:
- is an excellent, internationally oriented researcher and develops their own research programme in the specified domain. In this way, the candidate contributes to the international profile and research reputation of the host unit, the faculty or department involved and KU Leuven;
- strengthens existing lines of research or expands them, and contributes complementary expertise, enabling close collaboration with the members of the host unit at KU Leuven;
- publishes at the highest level appropriate to the specific scientific domain (e.g. articles in various leading international journals in the domain and/or broader international top journals, monographs in prominent series, conference proceedings, etc.);
- builds up their own research group;
- supervises Master's students, doctoral students and postdocs and encourages them to pursue international recognition;
- aims to acquire competitive research funding from national and/or international funds and submits effective research project proposals to this end;
- sets up collaborative partnerships both within KU Leuven and at national and international level in the context of the research programme;
- has a keen interest in fundamental research, but also pays attention to the valorisation and application of research where relevant, e.g. through contacts with policymakers, people from civil society and/or the business world.
Teaching
Candidates must have the necessary teaching skills for teaching assignments at the university. Although the initial appointment is as a research professor with a limited teaching load, candidates are expected to contribute to high-quality, research-based education, initially to a limited extent and more extensively after 10 years.
Service
Scientific, societal and internal services (administrative and/or institutional) are also part of the assignment.
Requirements
- You have a PhD and at least three full years of research experience at the start of your term as a research professor, which means that you must have obtained your PhD before 1 September 2024. If you have recently obtained your PhD, it is important to substantiate your research and growth potential with academic references.
- At the time of application, you must not have more than a 20% ZAP appointment at KU Leuven. ZAP members who have a temporary 95% ZAP appointment due to a successful ERC application are also eligible.
- You have an excellent research record in the field and unquestionable research integrity.
- Depending on the stage of your research career, you have achieved a high international level in the specified field and/or demonstrate very high research potential, as illustrated by internationally recognised scientific publications, among other things. International research experience is an important advantage.
- You have a strong commitment to teamwork in order to develop a research strategy together with your colleagues.
- You have demonstrable qualities for academic teaching. Teaching experience is an advantage.
- You have organisational skills and a collegial attitude. You also have leadership skills in a university context.
- Your spoken and written English is excellent. The administrative language at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you have no or insufficient knowledge of Dutch at the time of recruitment, KU Leuven will provide training to enable you to participate in administrative meetings. Before you start teaching in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge of Dutch or English.
- Required: You have consulted with an academic contact person at KU Leuven, and there is a commitment to substantive integration into the research unit and financial scope for taking over the position after 10 years. This confirmation must be included in your application in the form of a signed attachment – without this attachment, your application will not be valid. See 'More information' for an explanation of this under 'Call for Research Professors (BOFZAP)', 'Application and selection procedure', and the link to the template for the 'Host letter' attachment.
Offer
- We offer a full-time position in an intellectually challenging environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied scientific research. It has a strong interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary focus and strives for international excellence. To this end, it actively collaborates with its research partners at home and abroad. It offers its students an academic education based on high-level scientific research.
- Depending on your qualifications and academic experience, you will be appointed or nominated to one of the grades of independent academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. Researchers with relatively little research experience are in principle appointed as tenure track assistant professor, without ruling out a higher grade. In the event of a positive assessment after five years, the tenure track will lead to an appointment as associate professor.
- You will work in Leuven, a historic yet dynamic and lively city in the centre of Belgium, twenty minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
- KU Leuven is well equipped to welcome foreign professors and their families and offers practical support in the areas of immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, etc.
- To facilitate scientific integration and research in the initial phase, start-up funding of €110,000 is offered, provided that the conditions set by KU Leuven are met.
More information
Call Research professorships (BOFZAP)
Procedure application and selection
Template Host Letter
Interested?
Before you start your application, please read the full description of the procedure and important information about attachments and templates under 'Call for Research Professorships (BOFZAP)' and 'Procedure application and selection’ under 'More information'.
More information on the guidelines, regulations and application file is available from Ms. Kristin Vermeylen ([email protected]) or Ms. Martine van Nierop ([email protected] , tel. +32 16 32 76 98).
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
