Junior professor in cost-effective sustainable building

KU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.

In the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of KU Leuven, Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Architecture there is a full-time academic vacancy available on campus Leuven-Heverlee in the area of cost-effective sustainable building. We are looking for highly motivated candidates with the capacity to develop research on the design of sustainable buildings and cities considering financial feasibility and societal equity, who are able to engage actively with our educational programmes.
The research performed at the Department of Architecture encompasses the field of architecture in its broadest sense, meaning the built environment created by man, at the heart of which stands design. From theory and history to construction and building technology, from heritage conservation to urbanism, spatial planning and landscape architecture, we strive only for excellence. This research is located at the Faculty of Engineering Science (Leuven-Heverlee) and at the Faculty of Architecture (Campus Sint-Lucas Brussels and Ghent). The department serves as international centre of expertise in these areas and numbers over 160 doctoral researchers from all over the world.
The purpose of this vacancy is to complement, expand, and build upon existing expertise at KU Leuven, the Faculty of Engineering Science, and the Department of Architecture. This profile aligns with the department's ambition to contribute to the challenge of transitioning towards a more sustainable building stock in the context of the climate crisis. Specifically, the focus is on researching how the built environment's challenges can be addressed in a cost-effective manner while taking social equity issues into account. Key challenges include the impact on and vulnerability to climate change, resource-intensive practices, emissions, and the overall environmental impact of construction and operation. The goal is to develop methods and computational tools that facilitate the cost-effective design of sustainable buildings (including new constructions and renovations) and cities, integrating a life cycle thinking perspective. The aim is to provide decision-makers with essential cost information during the early design stages, empowering them to make sustainable choices, and to assist policy makers in developing roadmaps for building stock dynamics using these insights. This approach ensures that strategies to enhance sustainability in the built environment are not only environmentally sound but also financially feasible, thereby promoting fairness and equity in societal transitions towards sustainability.
The candidate for this position shall collaborate closely with the other members of the research group Architectural Engineering of the Department at its site in Leuven-Heverlee. The candidate will be integrated into a research division renowned for its expertise in environmental life cycle assessment, design optimization, and building performance assessment. Close collaboration across these domains is essential to address the multifaceted challenges of buildings from a holistic perspective. While this vacancy specifically seeks expertise in building cost assessment, proficiency in environmental life cycle assessment, climate modeling, building performance assessment, multi-criteria decision-making, or design optimization are also highly valued and considered as important added assets.

• You will spearhead high-level, internationally oriented research on cost-effective sustainable building, addressing the environmental and societal challenges confronting the building sector. This multidisciplinary endeavor will be achieved through close collaboration with colleagues from the Research Group of Architectural Engineering.
• You will be actively involved in doctoral research at the Department of Architecture, as supervisor or as a member of the advisory committee. You will thus build up your research group, demonstrating academic leadership qualities.
• You also actively develop new research projects at the section and in the department, both fundamental and applied in nature. You competitively acquire research funding on the university, national and/or European level. You publish in the top channels and fora of your field.
• You actively support and assist in developing national and international collaboration at the section and at the research unit you are associated with.
• You strive for excellence in your research and consequently provide a contribution to the continued development of the department.

Remark. During the first years, your educational load will be limited in agreement with the educational committee and with the other professors of architectural engineering, so as to leave you sufficient space to build up your research.

• You are responsible for delivering high-quality education in the expansive domain of Building Technology, Building Economics, and Building Information Modeling (BIM), demonstrating a clear commitment to the overall quality of the program. In particular, you contribute to the bachelor and master programs in engineering/architecture at the Faculty of Engineering Science.
• You enrich the design studios with your research expertise and knowledge, enhancing the educational experience for students.
• You seamlessly integrate your research into your teaching activities, actively reviewing and refining the existing didactical model to ensure continuous improvement and development.
• Additionally, you actively contribute to the pedagogical endeavors of the faculty/university by supervising master's theses and serving as a mentor to PhD students
• You develop your teaching in accordance with KU Leuven's vision on activating and research-based education and make use of the possibilities for the educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.
• In doing so, you collaborate closely with the other professors of Architectural Engineering of the Department of Architecture, and with the other ZAP members of the research section.

• You are prepared to provide scientific, social and internal services, amongst others by maintaining close contact with the international academic community and the related professional domains, and by serving on advisory committees.
• You are prepared to take up responsibilities in academic management at KU Leuven and you are willing to participate actively in the development of the educational programs in engineering/architecture, on all degree levels.
• You play an active role in maintaining the profile and furthering the impact of the department and faculty as regards students, both new and old, and the broader professional field, amongst others by taking part in public presentations, information days, introductory events.

• You have a master degree in architectural engineering, or a master degree in an equivalent engineering degree, as well as a PhD. The subject of your doctoral thesis was related to the research and educational field described for this vacancy.
• You can show high-level research experience in the afore mentioned field (publications, membership of reputable research programs and institutions, previous research financing).
• International experience acquired during your academic training and/or international experience with practice, and/or collaboration with practitioners from other disciplines, are considered as an advantage.
• Experience with teaching students in architecture, architectural or construction engineering, building economics, architectural design or related fields will also be considered as an advantage. You are ready to help position the program of engineering/architecture and the advanced master degrees at the department within the (inter)national world of architectural education.
• You possess organisational skills and you adopt a cooperative attitude towards your colleagues. You champion a dynamic department. You are willing to build bridges between practice, education and research on the one hand, and between sections, institutes, organisations and communities on the other.
• 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.
• The teaching envisioned for this position is chiefly done in Dutch. Before teaching courses in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to take your knowledge of the language to the required level.
• A good command of English is also required. KU Leuven provides courses in academic English.

• We are offering a full-time (100 %) 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 inter- and multidisciplinary focused and strives for international excellence. In this regard we actively work together with research partners in Belgium and abroad and provide our students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.
• The alma mater of acclaimed scholars such as Erasmus, Andreas Vesalius and Georges Lemaître, KU Leuven has a rich scientific tradition and history. Its internationally renowned research and educational programmes cause it to consistently rank among the best 50 universities worldwide.
• 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 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding, appointed for at least 50%.
• You will work in Heverlee near Leuven, a historic, dynamic and lively city located in the heart of Belgium, within 20 minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
• The rank of your appointment will be assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years; after this period and a positive evaluation, you will be permanently appointed (or tenured) as an associate professor.

For more information on the contents of the job, please contact:

Prof. Dr. Bruno De Meulder, Chair of the Department of Architecture (Heverlee) )

Prof. Dr. Karen Allacker, Head Research Section "Design and Engineering of Construction and Architecture" )

You can submit your application only through our online application system. If you have problems submitting your application online, please contact:

Add to your application following documents (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 list of your publications and if applicable, a portfolio of your past 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 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.

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.

Title

Junior professor in cost-effective sustainable building

:59 (Europe/Brussels)
:59 (CET)