Full-time academic position in functional inorganic materials

As a multicultural university with one third of students and researchers from abroad, international relations is a daily reality for the ULB.

Occupancy: 100% Professorship.

Tenure Track: The starting contract is 3 years. After the first 3 years period, an evaluation of the scientific and teaching activities will be carried out. Following a positive evaluation, the position will become tenured.

Area of Research: Inorganic Non-metallic Materials Engineering

The École Polytechnique de Bruxelles (Université libre de Bruxelles) is opening a full‑time academic position in Inorganic Non-metallic Materials Engineering. The recruited candidate will develop and lead research expertise in the design, synthesis, characterisation, and functional development of sustainable inorganic materials, with a focus on glass and/or ceramics (metallic materials are explicitly outside the scope of this profile). The successful candidate should combine a rigorous understanding of materials physics with experimental expertise spanning the complete workflow, from material elaboration to property characterisation and functional evaluation. The candidate will develop activities in fields directly relevant to the sustainability transition including (but not exclusively) the use of ceramics and glasses in renewable energy applications, the design of low‑carbon and energy‑efficient materials, the development of functional materials for transition towards industrial decarbonisation.

The successful candidate will combine deep experimental scientific expertise in inorganic materials with openness to emerging methodologies and technologies. Familiarity with or interest in additive manufacturing, high‑throughput experimental approaches, or computational/theoretical methods for materials design will be considered as an asset. The ability to bridge fundamental understanding and application‑driven development is essential as the candidate should demonstrate his/her ability to obtain funding from local level (Brussels’Innoviris, Wallon region) to European level.

The recruited candidate will join the 4MAT laboratory and benefit from the outstanding infrastructure of the Caramat platform, which offers unique and complementary tools for both synthesis and advanced characterisation of inorganic materials. The profile is designed to be strongly complementary to ongoing activities within the laboratory, particularly in the areas of re‑ and up‑cycling of inorganic materials and the development of innovative materials and technologies for structural applications, thereby reinforcing the coherence and strength of the group in the development of materials.

Educational and scientific goals: The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching analytical chemistry and ceramic materials to civil engineering students enrolled in the Chemistry and Materials Engineering programme (BA‑MA). Beyond core teaching duties, the candidate will be expected to propose and supervise student projects at all levels of the curriculum, including second‑year Bachelor projects (BA2), first‑year Master projects (MA1), and Master’s thesis. The candidate will also be expected to play an active role in the life of the programme, contributing to curriculum development, participation in programme committees, and broader educational initiatives within the department.

Courses covered at the time of recruitment:

• CHIM‑H‑412 (6 ECTS; parttime tbd): Microstructural design and characterization of inorganic materials. Shared with Prof. S. Godet
• CHIM‑H‑415: Ceramics (4 ECTS; parttime tbd). Shared with Prof. H. Rahiez

The profile of the candidate will naturally enable collaborations within the following courses:

• CHIM‑S‑2001: Industrial applications of chemistry. Titular Prakash Venkatesan

Qualifications required :

PhD Degree (with doctoral thesis) in Materials Engineering, Physics or Chemistry.

Skills required

• Applicants should have at least 5 years of research experience (including the PhD) at the time of their recruitment.
• Capability to teach in English (English C1).
• Applicants who do not speak French (level B2) may be granted a period of adaptation, but they must be able to teach in French at the end of the third year following their appointment.
• Good teaching and pedagogical capabilities and commitment to improve and hone teaching skills over the years.
• Excellent scientific record in the field of materials engineering, demonstrating a strong experimental approach.
• Exchange periods outside of the applicants’ home institution (during or after their PhD) will be taken into consideration when evaluating applications.
• Good capability to collaborate with colleagues, also from different fields and background.
• Commitment to work on attracting research funds to create an autonomou