Research professor - open to all scientific fields (Open BOFZAP)

3 Apr 2026
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KU LEUVEN

Research Field

Agricultural sciences » Agricultural products
Agricultural sciences » Agronomics
Agricultural sciences » Enology
Agricultural sciences » Forest sciences
Agricultural sciences » Phytotechny
Agricultural sciences » Soil science
Agricultural sciences » Temperate agriculture
Agricultural sciences » Tropical agriculture
Agricultural sciences » Zootechnics
Anthropology » Communication anthropology
Anthropology » Cultural anthropology
Anthropology » Ethnology
Anthropology » Medical anthropology
Anthropology » Physical anthropology
Anthropology » Social anthropology
Architecture » Design
Architecture » Landscape architecture
Architecture » Naval architecture
Arts » Arts management
Arts » Fashion studies
Arts » Fine arts
Arts » Handicrafts
Arts » Performing arts
Arts » Visual arts
Astronomy » Astrophysics
Astronomy » Cosmology
Biological sciences » Other
Chemistry » Other
Communication sciences » Speech communication
Communication sciences » Science communication
Communication sciences » Publishing
Communication sciences » Public relations
Communication sciences » On-line information services
Communication sciences » Media studies
Communication sciences » Journalism
Communication sciences » Graphic communication
Communication sciences » Editing
Communication sciences » Business communication
Communication sciences » Audiovisual communication
Computer science » Other
Criminology » Other
Cultural studies » Third world studies
Cultural studies » Russian studies
Cultural studies » Renaissance studies
Cultural studies » Regional studies
Cultural studies » Oriental studies
Cultural studies » Middle East studies
Cultural studies » Middle Ages studies
Cultural studies » Jewish studies
Cultural studies » Islamic studies
Cultural studies » European studies
Cultural studies » Eskimo studies
Cultural studies » Coptic studies
Cultural studies » Byzantine studies
Cultural studies » Asian studies
Cultural studies » Arabic studies
Cultural studies » Anglo Saxon studies
Cultural studies » Ancient studies
Cultural studies » American studies
Cultural studies » African studies
Demography » Other
Economics » Administrative sciences
Economics » Agricultural economics
Economics » Applied economics
Economics » Banking
Economics » Business economics
Economics » Cadastral survey
Economics » Commercial economics
Economics » Construction economics
Economics » Consumer economics
Economics » Cyclical economics
Economics » Econometrics
Economics » Economic policy
Economics » Economic systems
Economics » Economic theory
Economics » Economics of development
Economics » Environmental economics
Economics » Financial science
Economics » Fishery economy
Economics » Food economics
Economics » Health economics
Economics » Home economics
Economics » Industrial economics
Economics » International economics
Economics » Knowledge economy
Economics » Labour economics
Economics » Labour market economics
Economics » Land economy
Economics » Local public economics
Economics » Macroeconomics
Economics » Management studies
Economics » Marketing
Economics » Microeconomics
Economics » Political economy
Economics » Production economics
Economics » Social economics
Economics » Tourism studies
Economics » Transport economics
Economics » Valuation
Economics » Veterinary economics
Educational sciences » Education
Educational sciences » Learning studies
Educational sciences » Research methodology
Educational sciences » Teaching methods
Engineering » Other
Environmental science » Earth science
Environmental science » Ecology
Environmental science » Global change
Environmental science » Natural resources management
Environmental science » Water science
Ethics in health sciences » Other
Ethics in natural sciences » Other
Ethics in physical sciences » Other
Ethics in social sciences » Other
Geography » Cartography
Geography » Economic geography
Geography » Geopolitics
Geography » Historical geography
Geography » Human geography
Geography » Regional geography
Geography » Social geography
Geosciences » Geology
Geosciences » Hydrology
History » Ancient history
History » Archaeology
History » Art history
History » Church history
History » Contemporary history
History » Economic history
History » Genealogy
History » Heraldry
History » History of agriculture
History » History of design
History » History of law
History » History of performance
History » History of philosophy
History » History of religions
History » History of science
History » History of social sciences
History » Local history
History » Medieval history
History » Modern history
History » Music history
History » Numismatics
History » Paleography
History » Political history
History » Prehistory
History » Sigillography
History » Social history
Information science » Archivistics
Information science » Diplomatics
Information science » Documentation
Information science » Information management
Information science » Library science
Juridical sciences » Other
Language sciences » Languages
Language sciences » Linguistics
Language sciences » Philology
Literature » African literature
Literature » American literature
Literature » Asian literature
Literature » Austronesian literature
Literature » Comparative literature
Literature » European literature
Literature » Greek literature
Literature » Hamito-semitic literature
Literature » Literary criticism
Literature » Writing
Mathematics » Algebra
Mathematics » Algorithms
Mathematics » Applied mathematics
Mathematics » Chaos theory
Mathematics » Combinatorial analysis
Mathematics » Computational mathematics
Mathematics » Discrete mathematics
Mathematics » Geometry
Mathematics » Mathematical analysis
Mathematics » Mathematical logic
Mathematics » Number theory
Mathematics » Probability theory
Mathematics » Statistics
Medical sciences » Medicine
Medical sciences » Veterinary medicine
Neurosciences » Other
Pharmacological sciences » Clinical pharmacology
Pharmacological sciences » Cosmetology
Pharmacological sciences » Pharmacognosy
Pharmacological sciences » Pharmacy
Pharmacological sciences » Toxicology
Pharmacological sciences » Veterinary pharmacology
Philosophy » Aesthetics
Philosophy » Epistemology
Philosophy » Ethics
Philosophy » Logic
Philosophy » Metaphysics
Philosophy » Phenomenology
Philosophy » Philosophical anthropology
Philosophy » Philosophy of law
Philosophy » Philosophy of science
Philosophy » Semiotics
Philosophy » Systematic philosophy
Physics » Thermodynamics
Physics » Surface physics
Physics » Statistical physics
Physics » Statics
Physics » Solid state physics
Physics » Relativity
Physics » Quantum mechanics
Physics » Optics
Physics » Neutron physics
Physics » Metrology
Physics » Mathematical physics
Physics » Electronics
Physics » Electromagnetism
Physics » Condensed matter properties
Physics » Computational physics
Physics » Classical mechanics
Physics » Chemical physics
Physics » Biophysics
Physics » Applied physics
Physics » Acoustics
Political sciences » Other
Psychological sciences » Behavioural sciences
Psychological sciences » Cognitive science
Psychological sciences » Psychoanalytic studies
Psychological sciences » Psychology
Religious sciences » Other
Sociology » Other
Technology » Biotechnology
Technology » Chemical technology
Technology » Communication technology
Technology » Computer technology
Technology » Construction technology
Technology » Dating techniques
Technology » Electrical technology
Technology » Energy technology
Technology » Environmental technology
Technology » Future technology
Technology » Graphic techniques
Technology » High vacuum technology
Technology » Industrial technology
Technology » Information technology
Technology » Instrumentation technology
Technology » Interface technology
Technology » Internet technology
Technology » Knowledge technology
Technology » Laboratory technology
Technology » Marine technology
Technology » Materials technology
Technology » Measurement technology
Technology » Medical technology
Technology » Micro-technology
Technology » Military technology
Technology » Mining
Technology » Nanotechnology
Technology » Nuclear technology
Technology » Optronics
Technology » Pharmaceutical technology
Technology » Production technology
Technology » Quantum technology
Technology » Remote sensing
Technology » Safety technology
Technology » Sound technology
Technology » Space technology
Technology » Standardisation of technologies
Technology » Telecommunications technology
Technology » Transport technology
Technology » High vacuum technology
Technology » Water technology

Researcher Profile

Leading Researcher (R4)
Established Researcher (R3)

Application Deadline

1 Sep 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)

Country

Belgium

Type of Contract

To be defined

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

1 Sep 2027

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Reference Number

BZI-2026-21

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

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.

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.

Scientific, societal  and internal services (administrative and/or institutional) are also part of the assignment.

• 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.

• 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.

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 (kristin.vermeylen@kuleuven.be ) or Ms. Martine van Nierop (martine.vannierop@kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 32 76 98).

Where to apply

Website

https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60640907?hl=en

Requirements

Research Field

Technology

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Sociology

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Religious sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Psychological sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Political sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Philosophy

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Pharmacological sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Agricultural sciences » Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Neurosciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Medical sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Mathematics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Management sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Literature

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Language sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Juridical sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Educational sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Environmental science

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Ethics in health sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Ethics in natural sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Ethics in physical sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Ethics in social sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Geography

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Geosciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

History

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Information science

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Economics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Demography

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Cultural studies

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Criminology

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Computer science

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Communication sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Chemistry

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Biological sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Astronomy

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Arts

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Agricultural sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

All

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Anthropology

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Architecture

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Languages

DUTCH

Level

Basic

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Research Field

Agricultural sciences » Agricultural products

Years of Research Experience

None

Additional Information
Benefits

• 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.

Eligibility criteria

• 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.

Selection process

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 (kristin.vermeylen@kuleuven.be ) or Ms. Martine van Nierop (martine.vannierop@kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 32 76 98).

Website for additional job details

https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60640907?hl=en

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KU LEUVEN

Country

Belgium

City

Leuven

Geofield

Contact

City

Leuven

STATUS: EXPIRED

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