KU Leuven has a full-time academic vacancy in the Department of Civil Engineering focused on concrete material modelling and data-driven concrete science in the field of concrete technology and concrete durability. The vacant position is available at Ghent Campus, part of the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of KU Leuven.
We are looking for internationally oriented candidates with proven teaching skills and an excellent research record in the domain of concrete technology, approached through concrete material modelling and data-driven concrete science.
The vacancy is striving for innovation in concrete mix design and concrete technology from a sustainability and durability point of view, by expanding the use of modern (computational) modelling theories and methods. The envisaged research should accelerate the knowledge acquisition on linking concrete performances (as rheology, strength, durability including cracking and service life estimation) to mix design parameters via intelligent data management and mining and modelling approaches and as such contribute to a durable and sustainable concrete industry in an ever-increasing complex setting.
The successful applicant will be appointed in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of KU Leuven. The Faculty of Engineering Technology has an extensive national and international network, both in the academic and business world.
Research in the Materials and Constructions Section of the Department of Civil Engineering aims to generate advanced knowledge through fundamental and application-oriented research on durable and sustainable building materials, structural components and construction, contributing to new, existing and heritage structures with low environmental impact, structural resilience and improved service life.
The research group seeks to further develop innovative and complementary research in the domain to advance the knowledge on concrete technology and concrete durability by aid of concrete material modelling and data-driven concrete science. The section has state-of-the-art research infrastructure equipped with testing facilities for standard concrete testing, a concrete chemistry and concrete durability laboratory.
The research section has an extensive national and international network, both in academics and construction industry, connections with companies and non-profit organisations, a stable offer of highly talented PhD students and a supportive work environment.
Duties
Research
- You develop a research programme at an international level on concrete material modelling and data-driven concrete science to connect concrete technology and concrete durability. You closely collaborate with the colleagues within the research group, strengthen existing research lines and provide additional expertise.
- You set up collaborations within and outside of the department in close consultation with the members of the research section.
- You support and further expand research collaborations with national and international academic and industrial partners, in order to achieve industrial innovation and scientific output that adheres to the highest international standards.
- You are capable of acquiring competitive funding, both project-based government funding as well as industrial funding.
- You strive for excellence in your research and provide a contribution to the continued development of the research section and the department.
- You publish at the highest scientific level, acquire resources for fundamental and applied research, develop international collaborations and supervise PhDs at a high international level.
- You give the necessary attention to valorisation of your research results towards industry and government.
Teaching
You ensure high-quality education within the programmes of the Faculty of Engineering Technology at the Ghent Campus. Your teaching activities take place within the bachelor, master and preparatory programmes of Civil Engineering Technology in the area of building materials & concrete technology and structural concrete design. All professors are expected to teach a few basic undergraduate courses. They are determined in mutual agreement and based on your specific profile. The Faculty of Engineering Technology values a good balance between research and teaching duties. You also contribute to the pedagogic project of the faculty / university through the supervision of master theses and as a promoter of PhD students.In addition to your teaching duties at the Ghent Campus, you may be asked, within the multi-campus model, to take up a limited teaching duty at the Bruges Campus or De Nayer Sint-Katelijne-Waver Campus.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 professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.Service
You are prepared to provide scientific, social and internal services in concertation with your colleagues through international networks, connections with public authorities, companies and non-profit organisations.You are willing to perform applied research projects in collaboration with industry and government and to establish a network of industrial partners.You are actively involved in promoting the Faculty of Engineering Technology to future students and participate to information and public relations activities of the campus and the faculty.You stay up-to-date with the evolving construction practices and with needs related to your field of research and teaching.Profile
You have a master degree in civil or architectural engineering or equivalent degree, and a PhD where the subject of your doctoral thesis relates to the requested research field (concrete material modelling and data-driven concrete science in relation to concrete technology and concrete durability). Industrial experience or an extended network in the relevant industrial sector is an important advantage.You have a strong (applied) 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.A good command of English is required. KU Leuven provides courses in academic English.The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of your employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in meetings and to acquire the level of Dutch that is required for tenure.Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch resp. 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 work at the KU Leuven Campus in Ghent, in a historic city with a 40-minute rail connection to Brussels, and about three hours train to Paris, London and Amsterdam.Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the senior academic staff : assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. In principle, junior researchers are appointed as 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 associate professor.To facilitate scientific integration and research in the first phase, a research position equivalent to a PhD fellowship for 4 years is made available. If you have no other substantial funding available, you can also apply for a start-up grant of EUR 110,000, on the condition that you are appointed for at least 50%.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, …Interested?
For more information on the contents of the job, please contact :
Prof. dr. ir. Jaak Monbaliu, departmental chair of the Department of Civil Engineering ([email protected], +32 16 32 16 61)Prof. dr. ir. Peter Hanselaer, campus chair of Campus Ghent ([email protected], +32 9 265 87 36)Prof. dr. ir. Lucie Vandewalle, section chair Materials and Constructions, Department of Civil Engineering ([email protected], +32 16 32 16 76) You can submit your application, only through our online application system. If you have problems submitting your application online, please send an email to [email protected]. 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 realizations;- an extensive cv including a full publication list and if applicable a portfolio of your architectural 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 organization (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 places great importance on research integrity and ethical conduct and will therefore ask you to sign an integrity statement upon appointment.