Job description

The Department of Molecular Biology (DBM) at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is inviting applications for a full-time academic position within its multidisciplinary research and teaching department.

Area of Research

The successful candidate will investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing microorganism biology and/or immune system function, using cutting-edge experimental or interdisciplinary approaches.

We particularly encourage curiosity-driven basic research projects aimed at deepening our understanding of biological processes, regardless of their immediate clinical or translational applications.

Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

Fundamental Microbiology

Microbial physiology and metabolism
Microbial genetics, regulation of gene expression, and genome evolution
Molecular mechanisms underlying microbial adaptation and stress responses

Fundamental Immunology

Regulation, differentiation, and ontogeny of immune cells
Transcriptional, epigenetic, and metabolic control of immune responses
Fundamental mechanisms of inflammation, tolerance, and immunopathology

At the Interface of Microbiology and Immunology

Molecular mechanisms underlying host-microorganism interactions
Reciprocal adaptation of hosts and microorganisms in physiological and pathological contexts
Organization and dynamics of host-microorganism ecosystems

Applications from scientists working with diverse experimental models and employing innovative approaches in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, functional genomics, biochemistry, computational biology, systems biology, or multi-omics technologies are strongly encouraged.

The successful candidate will join the Department of Molecular Biology at the Brussels South Charleroi Biopark, a highly dynamic life sciences environment: https://biopark.be/en. The BioPark is home to three academic research institutes and provides state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, as well as a thriving network of more than 100 companies in the life sciences sector. This environment offers opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration with experts in nucleic acid biology, microbiology, immunology, virology, parasitology, and cell and developmental biology.

The successful candidate will benefit from a particularly stimulating scientific environment for developing research at the interface of immunology and microbiology. The department hosts complementary research groups specializing in immunology, microbiology, virology, parasitology, genetics, and nucleic acid biology. Research projects fostering synergies across these disciplines will be particularly encouraged.

Educational and scientific goals:

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong motivation and proven skills in teaching and mentoring. They will contribute to teaching activities across a broad range of contemporary topics in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology at both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, delivering both fundamental and specialized courses. They will also be expected to supervise undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers.

For candidates who are not proficient in French, a temporary period of French-language training, during which teaching may be conducted in English, may be granted for a maximum of three years. By the end of this period, the candidate must be able to teach in French.

The successful candidate will lead an independent and competitive research programme as a principal investigator (PI) and secure external funding to support it, including European and regional grants and funding schemes such as the ERC, Wel-RI, and FNRS.

Courses covered at the time of recruitment:

BIOL-Y-331 Host-Pathogen Interactions
5 ECTS (Lectures: 14 hours; Tutorials: 24 hours; Practical laboratory sessions: 24 hours; Independent study: 30 hours)
Teaching load: Lectures: 14 hours; Tutorials: 24 hours; Independent study: 30 hours.
BIOL-F-104 / BIOL-F-105 / CHIM-F-208 Molecular Basis of Life
10 ECTS (Lectures: 64 hours; Tutorials: 20 hours; Practical laboratory sessions: 12 hours)
Teaching load: Lectures: 14 hours (shared across the Biology, Bioengineering, and Chemistry programmes).
BIOL-F-303 Molecular Biology Laboratory
5 ECTS (Practical laboratory sessions: 48 hours)
Teaching load: Practical laboratory sessions: 48 hours.

Qualifications required:

PhD Degree (with doctoral thesis) in biological or biomedical sciences, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related discipline.

Skills required

Applicants should have at least 4 years of research experience at the time of their recruitment.
Post-doctoral experience and an excellent scientific record are a plus.
Demonstrated ability to conduct original, high-quality research commensurate with your career stage.
Exchange periods outside of the applicants’ home institution (during or after their PhD) will be taken into consideration when evaluating applications.
Applicants who do not speak French (level C1) 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.
Teaching experience will be taken into consideration and viewed favorably.

Interested?

For more information, please contact Prof. Stanislas Goriely or Laurence Van Melderen (E-mail: stanislas.goriely@ulb.be, Laurence.vanmelderen@ulb.be).

Your application will consist of a Curriculum Vitae (if you wish, a standard CV can be downloaded from the website: https: //www.ulb.be/fr/documents-officiels/emplois-academiques-et-scientifiques-cv-type) and a document completed using the template available at this URL address

https://www.ulb.be/fr/documents-officiels/1e-applic-form-acad-tps-plein-docx.

This template structures your application by including the following elements:

an application letter
a 7,000-character report (4 pages) presenting the applicant’s research activities and a research project, including how these will integrate into ULB’s research teams
a teaching dossier including a 7,000-character report (4 pages) on the applicant's previous teaching activities and a teaching project for the first five years in this position; these must be relevant to the faculty and to the teaching profiles for the programmes to which the applicant is to contribute
a note on the applicant's international achievements and projects (no more than 4 pages)
the names and e-mail addresses of five referees (respecting the gender balance) who may be contacted by those in charge of evaluating applications. These referees should not have conflicts of interest because of family or emotional ties.

Incomplete applications or applications that do not use the template provided will not be examined by the selection committee.

The appointment to the academic staff of ULB is made at ”Chargé de Cours” level. As of their appointment, members of academic staff are authorised to use the honorary title of ”Professeur”.

Where to go to apply?

Click here: https://jobs.ulb.be/job-invite/2091/?isInternalUser=true

For any connection problems or questions about our application, consult our FAQ: e-recrut-mode-d-emploi-candidat-en-_1734942996246-pdf

N.B.: SAP complies with European and U.S. regulations and, as a result, does not allow access to its application from the following countries/regions: Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) / Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, and Belarus.

Therefore, candidates applying from these countries – and only from these countries – can submit their CV and application to this address: rectrice@ulb.be

Equal opportunities policy

ULB's personnel management policy is geared towards diversity and equal opportunities.

We recruit candidates on the basis of their skills, irrespective of age, gender, sexual orientation, origin, nationality, beliefs, disability, etc.

Would you like to be provided with reasonable accommodation in the selection procedure because of a disability, disorder, or illness? Please contact Marie Botty, the person in charge of diversity aspects for the academic and scientific staff (marie.botty@ulb.be). Be assured of the confidentiality of this information.

More details on the ULB gender and diversity policy are available at Diversity at ULB - ULB.

You will find all the regulations relating to academic careers on our site at http://www.ulb.ac.be/emploi/academique.html.

Full-time academic position in immunology, microbiology, or host–microorganism interactions - Faculty of sciences