Professor civil engineering, metal constructions
(ref. ZAP-2020-20)
Employment percentage: Full-time
Location: Sint-Katelijne-Waver
Materials and Constructions, De Nayer (Sint-Katelijne-Waver) Campus
Apply up to and including: Tuesday, September 14, 2021
There is a vacancy for a full-time academic position in the Civil Engineering Department of KU Leuven in the field of design and analysis of steel and metal constructions. The vacant position is located at Campus De Nayer in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, part of the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the Science, Engineering and Technology Group KU Leuven. We are looking for international oriented candidates with an excellent research record and with good educational competence in the field of civil engineering. Research in the Materials and Structures group focuses on materials, components and structures, optimization of material usage, and construction technologies in view of sustainable construction. Results are implemented into structural codes of practice and practical tools tailored to companies operating in the construction sector. The laboratory is well equipped to perform full-scale tests on members and structures as well as material characterization. These research activities are embedded in the research activities of other research groups of the Department of Civil Engineering in particular those groups who are active in building materials and structures. These research groups have an extended international and regional network, strong connections with industry and non-profit organisations and stable recruitment of talented PhD students in a supportive working environment. Good experimental infrastructure is available. You can find more information at
https://iiw.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/ms/homepage and
https://bwk.kuleuven.be/English/ResearchNewPage.
Website unit
Duties
Research
- You develop a research programme at an international level in the field of structural engineering and building technology with emphasis on steel and metal constructions, including connections (e.g. bolted and welded connections). The intended research entails experimental research on construction components and structures, as well as the development and use of numerical models.
- You have access to testing equipment for large construction components and are expected to further strengthen and extend these laboratory facilities.
- You engage in targeted scientific research, resulting in PhD’s and publications that meet international standards and lead to broad international recognition.
As part of your research programme, you develop international partnerships, within the academic world as well as in close cooperation with industry to achieve industrial innovation and scientific output that adheres to the highest international standards.
- You support or initiate a network of companies through the valorisation of research results and by delivering industrial services to achieve technology transfer and application of the results of your research in industry/government/society.
- You are able to acquire competitive funding, both project-based government funding as well as industrial funding.
- You strive for excellence and thus contribute to the further development of the research group and the faculty.
Education
Teaching duties connected to this vacancy will be in the Faculty of Engineering Technology primarily at Campus De Nayer. Within the multi-campus model of the Faculty of Engineering Technology, you may be asked to take up a limited teaching duty at the campuses in Bruges or Ghent.
You provide high-quality education within the programmes of the Faculty of Engineering Technology for both bachelor and master students. These academic programmes are aimed at educating engineers with a strong focus on industry-ready technological development. Your teaching activities take place mainly within the area of structural mechanics, reliability-based design of structures and research-related courses , with a clear commitment to the quality of the programme as a whole. All professors are expected to teach a few introductory undergraduate courses.
You contribute to the faculty’s and the university’s pedagogical project through the supervision of student projects (for example, bachelor’s and master’s theses) and by acting as a supervisor of PhD students.
You develop your teaching in accordance with KU Leuven’s views on activating and researched-based education and make use of the possibilities for educational professionalisation offered by the faculty and the university.
Service
- You are prepared to provide services to the scientific community, to society and to the university, with particular focus on services to industry in the context of applied research and development.
- You develop a strong network with industrial partners and in particular with the construction sector.
- You play an active role in promoting the Faculty of Engineering Technology towards new students and the industry by, for example, participating in information days and events.
Profile
- You have a master degree in Civil Engineering or an equivalent degree, and a PhD whereby the subject of your doctoral thesis relates to the research field, namely metal constructions.
- You have a strong research track record in the discipline, evidenced by your publications or by your research experience in industry. You have the ambition to contribute to the valorisation of research in industry and in society. International experience is an important advantage.
- You have verifiable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.
- You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership competencies in a university or industry context.
Proficiency in English is required.
The official language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in meetings.
Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch, respectively English, to the required standard.
Offer
We offer full-time employment in an intellectually challenging environment.
KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research. Our university is highly focused on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and strives for international excellence. In this regard, the university actively works together with research partners in Belgium and abroad and provides its students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.
You will mainly work at the KU Leuven Campus De Nayer, an academic campus located near Mechelen and about 45 km from Leuven and centred on technology and industry-focused research and education.
Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. In principle, junior researchers are appointed as an assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years. At the end of this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed (or tenured) as an associate professor.
KU Leuven is well set to welcome foreign professors and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration & administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, …
To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 100.000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding, appointed for at least 50%."
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Jaak Monbaliu, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, tel.: +32 16 32 16 61, mail:
jaak.monbaliu@kuleuven.be, or Prof. dr. ir. Raf Dewil, chair of Campus De Nayer, tel.: +32 15 68 82 29, mail:
raf.dewil@kuleuven.be.
If you have problems submitting your application online, please send an email to
solliciteren@kuleuven.be.
Add to your application following documents in English (more information is available on the KU Leuven job site):
- your biosketch in which you indicate your added value as an academic for research, education and service to society of your past career and of your future activities (maximum 2 pages);
- a file on your five most important publications or realisations;
- an extensive cv including a full publication list and if applicable a portfolio of your projects;
- your research plan with focus on the development of your research line and research team in relation with the colleague-researchers of the entity of employment (maximum 4 pages);
- your vision on academic education and its organisation (maximum 2 pages);
- your contribution to society by outreach and public communication on science and technology, internal representation in boards and councils and service activities directly in relation to your developed expertise (maximum 1 page);
- your vision on leadership (maximum 1 page).
KU Leuven is committed to creating a diverse environment and is therefore an equal opportunity employer. It explicitly encourages candidates from groups that are currently underrepresented at the university to submit their applications.
KU Leuven places great importance on research integrity and ethical conduct and will therefore ask you to sign an integrity statement upon appointment.
You can apply for this job no later than September 14, 2021 via the
online application tool
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at
diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.