Faculty position for ERC grant holder in the field of cryptography and computer security

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Research Field Engineering » Electrical engineering Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Application Deadline 19 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Feb 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number ZAP-2026-81 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

• You develop a research programme in the field of cryptography and computer security.
• Your work will be carried out within the division COSIC of the Department of Electrical Engineering and in the Faculty of Engineering Science, in the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of KU Leuven.
• Your research activities should be oriented towards provably secure designs in symmetric-key cryptography.
• You set up collaborations within and outside of the department.
• You publish at the highest scientific level, acquire resources for research, develop international collaborations and supervise PhDs at an international level.
• You ensure high-quality education within the area of electrical engineering, and actively contribute to the overall excellence of the Master in Electrical Engineering and the Master of Mathematical Engineering. You also contribute to the pedagogic project of the faculty/university through the supervision of master theses and as a promoter of PhD students.
• You develop your teachings in accordance with KU Leuven’s vision on activating and researched-based education and make use of the possibilities for the educationalist professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.

Besides your responsibilities for research and teaching, you are willing to provide service to the community and the department and faculty, depending on requirements and interests.

• You have a PhD in electrical engineering.
• You have a strong research profile. The quality of your research is proven by publications in prominent journals and through international research experience.
• You have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.
• You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership capacities within a university context.
• Proficiency in 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 employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in administrative meetings.
• Before teaching courses in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch to the required level.
• We offer a 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 inter- and multidisciplinarily 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 full-time employment starts together with the ERC grant and at the earliest on January 1st 2027.
• You will work in 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.
• 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 € 110,000 euro is offered.

• You have a PhD in electrical engineering.
• You have a strong research profile. The quality of your research is proven by publications in prominent journals and through international research experience.
• You have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.
• You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership capacities within a university context.
• Proficiency in 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 employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in administrative meetings.
• Before teaching courses in