Full-time academic position in regulations, tourisme et societe

Organisation/Company Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Research Field Anthropology » Social anthropology Economics » Management studies Economics » Tourism studies Geography » Human geography Geography » Other Political sciences » Public policy Political sciences » Other Sociology » Urban sociology Sociology » Other Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Application Deadline 1 Feb 2027
- 11:00 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 38 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Reference: 2027/A025

The Tourism unit within the Department of Geosciences, Environment and Society of the Faculty of Sciences (Université libre de Bruxelles) is opening a full-time academic position (100% Professorship) in the form of a Chair entitled ‘Régulations, tourisme et société’ [i.e., Regulation within Tourism Systems & Society]. The starting contract is 3 years. After the first 3-year period, an evaluation of the scientific and teaching activities will be carried out. Following a positive evaluation, the position will become tenured.

The Chair in ‘Régulations, tourisme et société’ is part of the research activities of the Brussels Centre for Tourism Studies (BCTS). The BCTS is specialised in the study of issues relating to tourism as a social phenomenon as well as a set of economic activities. It brings together a number of researchers and scholars who study tourism from various perspectives, including mono-, multi
- and interdisciplinary approaches. They carry out both fundamental and applied research on a wide range of tourism practices, stakeholders and destinations. Institutionally the BTCS is part of the ‘Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et d’Aménagement du Territoire’ (IGEAT), and has recently joined the USET research hub together with four other research units. Within this hub the BTCS fosters research synergies on issues relating to socio-environmental transformations in urban spaces.

In response to the pressing social and ecological challenges facing contemporary societies, both the educational programme and research at the BCTS have taken over the past five years a more pronounced focus on the dynamics of transformation and adaptation within tourism systems.
To find out more about the BTCS, please visit the website https://bcts.sciences.ulb.be/fr-1

It is within this framework that the chairholder will develop their research and teaching, focusing on regulation in tourism systems. This area of research has not yet been investigated by the BCTS.

Area of Research:

The selected candidate will be expected to carry out empirical research that examines in depth modes/forms of regulation within tourism systems, the processes and dynamics underpinning them, as well as their recent and future development. The notion of ‘regulation’ is understood in a broad sense here. It refers to the adjustment of a variety of movements or actions based on previously defined rules or standards, and their effects or outcomes within tourism systems. This encompasses the different models of governance (i.e., as decision-making systems of processes, functions, structures, rules, norms…), as well as all mechanisms designed to influence tourism systems.

With this scope the selected candidate will explore how tourism stakeholders take into account and attempt to influence current and future sociotechnical trajectories. Examples of these trajectories include—though this list is by no means exhaustive—the financialisation of tourism, digitalisation and AI-isation, de
- and re-intermediation, individualisation, and the strong growth in tourism mobilities. Particular attention will be attributed to the relationships between the modes and forms of regulation and the social and/or ecological challenges affecting contemporary societies.

The candidate will also need to demonstrate strong skills in research methodologies.

Educational and scientific goals:

The selected candidate will be expected to design, lead and/or contribute to research projects within the Chair’s field (see above). As part of this, he or she will, amongst other things, work to forge research synergies at departmental level, within USET, at ULB and internationally. The selected candidate will be expected to disseminate their research, combining scientific communication with public outreach. He or she will also be involved in supervising, supporting and/or assessing doctoral theses.

The selected candidate will make an active and creative contribution to the Master’s programme in ‘sciences et gestion du tourisme’ (i.e., tourism analyse and management; 120 ECTS) as well as to the related supplementary course programme. Active learning methods are promoted on the Master’s programme. Exp