An academic in Common Law, Comparative Law and Legal Culture

Reference

38686 / DRTB 004 B / 2027

UCLouvain seeks to recruit

A full-time academic position in Common Law, Comparative Law and Legal Culture

Main campus: Saint-Louis - Bruxelles

About us

UCLouvain is the leading French-speaking university in Belgium and is also widely recognised internationally. Founded in the heart of Europe in 1425, the university brings together 40,000 students and 6,000 staff members on nine campuses in Brussels and Wallonia. Research and education activities are organised in 20 faculties, 23 research institutes, 5 learning centres and 18 libraries. UCLouvain also has two university hospitals.

UCLouvain is a major player in the transition to a sustainable society. The challenges of the ecological crisis are integrated into courses and the university develops numerous local projects (such as a university farm and sustainable campuses). As a digital university, UCLouvain is involved in open science and education, and trains academics in innovative teaching practices through its Louvain Learning Lab. Thanks to two science parks, the university’s research benefits from interaction with 250 companies and 3 incubators, which is fuelled further by being at the centre of a region driven by technological innovation.

UCLouvain has a strong tradition of international collaboration in both teaching and research. These partnerships take shape through numerous exchange agreements, its firm commitment to the European alliance Circle U. and the network The Guild, as well as the welcoming of a large community of international researchers, supported by the Louvain Welcome Desk.

The University's staff policy is based on five pairs of values which are fundamental pillars of the way the University operates, works and lives together: https://uclouvain.be/fr/emploi/politique-personnel.html

The Saint-Louis Campus Brussels (until recently known as the Université Saint-Louis - Brussels) is characterised by its specialisation in the humanities, its pioneering experience with staggered timetables, successful initiatives promoting multilingualism over the past 30 years, and the specialisation and influence of its centres and research institute, IRIS-L, in a number of specialist fields. This approach is part of a commitment to promoting interdisciplinarity in relevant fields, a culture of community and human relations across all the site’s activities, and a resolute openness to the economic, social, cultural and religious diversity that characterises the BrusselsCapital Region, which serves as both the primary seat of the European Union’s institutions and the capital of the State.

Post description

Within the Faculty of Law Saint-Louis and the Institut de recherche interdisciplinaire Saint-Louis, Social Sciences and Humanities Sector, this position will include the following teaching, research and community service duties:

Teaching

You will be responsible for delivering daytime lectures in English. These will mainly cover common law and comparative law, for the bilingual French-English Bachelor of Law and the Bachelor of Droit-Rechten-Laws (a joint degree with KU Leuven), in blocks 1 and 2. The Common Law course will not be limited to English and US law and will incorporate other legal cultures. You will also be responsible for teaching legal theory (in block 3).

Where necessary, and where possible, teaching in the humanities may be added to your portfolio.

These courses will form part of our Manifesto for Legal Education (https://doi.org/10.3917/riej.076.0169)

Research

You will be based at the IRIS-L Institute (which brings together the research units at the Saint-Louis campus in Brussels) and will play an active role in one of the Faculty of Law’s research centres (in private, public, criminal or environmental law, etc. depending on your main areas of research). You will participate in and initiate collaborative projects within this centre. During your career, you will supervise PhD theses there and seek to secure external funding, particularly from the FRS-FNRS, the Federal Science Policy Office, the Brussels-Capital Region and the European Union, to carry out new projects.

You will also need to demonstrate an ability to develop collaborative projects with other research centres, in particular the Interdisciplinary Seminar on Legal Studies (SIEJ – https://siej.uclouvain.be/)

In addition …

Once tenured, you will carry out various service activities and responsibilities within the institution, such as being a member of a programme committee or examination committee, or having management responsibilities within the faculty or research institute.

You will also contribute to serving society, particularly in the economic, social, cultural or development cooperation fields. Finally, you will ensure, through research and teaching activities, the university’s international visibility.

Who we’re looking for

Education

You have a PhD in Law or Legal Science, or possibly in another relevant discipline, and have the necessary legal training for the post advertised here (such as a postgraduate degree or an LLM).

Experience

You have a proven track record in university teaching, with evidence where possible by formal evaluations.

Skills

Teaching skills

You must demonstrate significant experience in public speaking.

You will also have a high-quality, innovative teaching programme that promotes student inclusion and participation, as well as dialogue with the legal profession and with disciplines outside the field of law.

If you are shortlisted during the first phase of the application assessment, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and teaching proposal during a lesson on Common Law or comparative law, delivered in English and in the presence of the recruitment panel.

Experience of university teaching is a significant advantage. Ideally, this experience will have been gained with a variety of audiences (large lecture theatres and small groups, for example).

Academic expertise

You must have completed a doctoral thesis in law, the excellence of which is attested to, amongst other things, by the examination report.

You must also be able to demonstrate a significant number of academic publications in law, in edited volumes and Belgian or international peer-reviewed journals. You must be able to work effectively within a teaching team and integrate research findings into your teaching.

You are capable of conducting high-level scientific research, from securing funding to managing a team. You demonstrate creativity and an openness to pedagogical innovation and to multi- or interdisciplinary approaches (such as the humanities).

The following are considered significant assets:

• international experience;
• the publication of one or more monographs and/or edited volumes;
• the ability to combine different disciplinary fields and an appreciation of multi- or interdisciplinarity;
• having undertaken research visits to institutions other than the one where the thesis was completed;
• conducting research with an interdisciplinary focus and working with colleagues from other disciplines;
• the organisation of one or more international seminars and/or conferences;
• having secured external funding;
• having close ties with certain journals and learned societies in the field of Common Law or comparative law;
• one or more community roles demonstrating a commitment to serving society through previous projects and research activities;
• the ability to participate, in French, in faculty activities, or a commitment to acquire this ability towards confirmation.

Language skills

You must have a perfect command (C2 level) of English. If this proficiency is not demonstrated by at least two years’ university study in the language in question, it must be certified by an external assessment.

You must also have a very good command of French (C1 level) or commit to acquiring it with a view to confirmation.

What we offer

• Tenure after positive assessment of the probationary period – typically four years. This type of career entitles you to a public sector pension.
• Appointment as lecturer or professor according to your previous academic experience, as determined by the Rectoral Council.
• Teaching load capped at 90 hours for a full-time tenure-track position, and 150 hours once tenured.
• An attractive and progressive salary according to seniority and the promotion process.
• A start date of 1 September 2027 at the earliest.
• An integrated leadership and management training programme, including a range of pedagogical, linguistic and other training courses.
• Benefits including transport, family, culture, commercial, etc.
• Official policy that supports equal opportunities and promotes diversity within academic and all other categories of staff.
• Specific emphasis on a work-life balance.

Practical Information

Application deadline: 5 November 2026 at noon (UTC+1 Time Zone)

Starting date: September 1st 2027

Location:

Social Sciences and Humanities Sector
(DRTB) https://uclouvain.be/en/faculties/DRTB
(IRIS) https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/IRIS

Need more information?

Questions about this position:

Prof. Nicolas Bernard, Dean DRTB – doyen-drtb@uclouvain.be
Prof. Isabelle Ost, Président IRIS – presidence-iris-l@uclouvain.be

Questions about the procedure:

Madam Céline Brauns, Rector’s Office, celine.brauns@uclouvain.be

Questions about online application:

Madam Andreea Chiriac, Rector’s Office, secretariat-vrpp@uclouvain.be

Interested?

Applications must be submitted exclusively via UCLouvain’s online recruitment system; submissions through other channels will not be considered.

Full details regarding the application procedure are available at: https://www.uclouvain.be/en/careers/submit-your-application

Applications must include one single PDF file containing the following documents:

• a cover letter (to be included in the single PDF as well as in your candidate profile);
• a detailed and up‑to‑date curriculum vitae (to be included in the single PDF as well as in your candidate profile);
• a copy of the official doctoral degree certificate;
• a complete publication list, including a summary of three recent and significant publications;
• a teaching statement;
• a research statement presenting the proposed research programme for the next five years.

Shortlisted candidates invited for an interview will subsequently be asked to provide:

• a PhD project proposal, with a view to the possible recruitment of a doctoral candidate during the first year of appointment;
• three to five letters of reference, submitted directly by referees according to the instructions provided by the University.