Professor in Educational Research on Professional Compentencies in Engineering

KU Leuven has a full-time academic vacancy in the area of Educational Research at the Group T Leuven campus. We are looking for internationally orientated candidates with an excellent research record and with educational competencies within the field of professional / transferable competencies in engineering education. The successful applicant will be appointed in the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of KU Leuven.

The faculty of Engineering Technology has an extensive national and international network, both in the academic and business world.

The research group can build upon an extensive international network, connections with companies and non-profit organisations, a stable offer of highly talented PhD students and a supportive work environment. The ETHER (Engineering TecHnology Education Research) research group aims to advance engineering education through both excellent fundamental and practice-embedded research within the Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET) at KU Leuven and beyond, and within the broader national and international engineering education community. Partnering with the Leuven Educational Research Institute (LIVO) and the Leuven Engineering and Science Education Center (LESEC) community, ETHER generates evidence-based insights into how engineering technology students are attracted to engineering, how they learn and develop during their studies, how the teaching staff can guide these students and how graduating engineers successfully transition into academic and professional contexts. These insights inform the continuous improvement of engineering education.

You will contribute to the teaching activities of the Faculty of Engineering Technology. KU Leuven works daily to foster a culture of quality and is highly rated by independent evaluation committees. Through our (inter)national network, links with the business community and a well-established professional network at KU Leuven, we guarantee innovation and quality assurance in our teaching.

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Duties

Research

• You develop a research program at an international level in educational research with a specific focus on the development of professional / transferable competencies in engineering technology education. Candidates should have a research track record with proven expertise in qualitative and/or quantitative methods for educational research with a specific focus on professional / transferable competencies and engineering education. The envisaged research ideally spans a range from more fundamental research topics (e.g. competency framework development, enhancement of student learning in STEM and/or engineering education, diversity and inclusivity in engineering education) to topics that align closely with curriculum development and teaching practice (e.g. engineering curriculum development, secondary education-curriculum alignment, curriculum-industry alignment, support to educator development). Candidates are strongly encouraged to highlight the relevance and applicability of their anticipated research results specifically to professional / transferable competence oriented coursework and educational studies in engineering technology.
• You establish a research program founded on innovative thinking and scientific excellence, seeking complementarity with the expertise on educational research that is currently available in the Leuven Engineering and Science Education Center (LESEC).
• You engage in targeted scientific research, resulting in PhD s and publications that meet international standards and lead to broad international recognition.
• You are able to acquire competitive funding.
• As part of your research program, you develop international partnerships, within the academic world as well as with stakeholders, policymakers and partners in the broad field of education.
• You contribute to the further development of the research group and the faculty, and pay the required attention to the transfer and application of the results of your research in education and society.

Teaching

• You provide high-quality education for both bachelor and master students in the field of development of professional / transferable competencies, with a clear commitment to the quality of the programme as a whole. All professors are expected to teach a few basic undergraduate courses. In the longer term, you also contribute to the Educational Master in Science and Technology, subject educational engineering technology.
• You contribute to the faculty's and the university's pedagogical project through the supervision of student projects (for example bachelor s and master s theses) and by acting as a promotor of PhD students.
• You develop your teaching in accordance with KU Leuven's views on activating and researched-based education and make use of the possibilities for educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.

Service

• You are prepared to provide services to the scientific community, to society and to the university in function of the needs and your personal interests.
• You play an active part in promoting the Faculty of Engineering Technology towards new students and the wider professional field by participating in open days, networking events and fairs, etc.
• You are willing to take on leadership roles during your career, such as for example, programme director, head of department, (vice)chair, or (vice)dean.

Profile

You have a PhD focusing on educational research in engineering.

You have a strong research track record in the discipline, evidenced by your publications and/or by your research experience.

You have the ambition to contribute to the valorisation of research in education and society. International experience is an important advantage.

If you have recently obtained your PhD, then it is important to demonstrate your research and development potential with academic references.

You have demonstrable qualities for academic teaching. Teaching experience is an asset.

You make efforts to disseminate your research findings more widely, thereby contributing to the development of the knowledge society.

Within these three core tasks (teaching, research, and academic and societal service):

• you take on a leadership role and create opportunities for growth or collaboration for your students and colleagues;
• you possess the necessary skills to organise teamwork and foster a spirit of collegiality;
• you value development and innovation in teaching and research, as well as in terms of personal insights and growth within collaborative teams;
• you are willing to share knowledge, scientific methods, insights and findings transparently with colleagues and society.

The official administrative language of KU Leuven is Dutch. If, upon recruitment, you have no or insufficient knowledge of Dutch, then KU Leuven provides language training to enable you to participate in (board)meetings. You must achieve CEFR level B2 within five years of the start of your appointment.

Afterwards, you must acquire the required knowledge of Dutch [or English] at CEFR level C1 in order to become a course leader in Dutch [or English]. KU Leuven also provides training to help you achieve this level.

In order to fulfil the three core missions of your assignment (teaching, research, and academic and social service), the university expects you to eventually develop proficiency in both English and Dutch to CEFR level C1.

For this vacancy, upon recruitment, proficiency in Dutch at CEFR level C1 is required, so that you can teach in Dutch straight away.

Offer

• We offer a full-time position in an intellectually challenging environment.
• KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied scientific research. It has a strong inter- and multidisciplinary focus and strives for international excellence. To this end, the university actively collaborates with its research partners at home and abroad and offers its students an academic education based on high-level scientific research.
• You will be working at KU Leuven’s Group T campus, in a historic yet dynamic and vibrant city in the centre of Belgium, with a 25-minute train journey to Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and approximately two hours’ journey to Paris, London and Amsterdam.
• As part of your assignment, mobility between campuses can be expected. KU Leuven offers hybrid working possibilities for a balanced combination of on-campus work and remote working.
• Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the senior academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. As a junior researcher you will in principle be appointed as tenure track assistant professor for a period of 5 years. At the end of this period and a with positive evaluation, you are permanently appointed (or tenured) as associate professor.
• To facilitate your academic integration and research at the start of your career, a research position equivalent to a PhD fellowship is made available to you for four years. Start-up funding of 110,000 euros is also provided.
• KU Leuven is well equipped to welcome international professors and their families and offers practical support in areas such as immigration and administrative matters, accommodation, childcare, learning Dutch, and more.

Interested?

For more information on the contents of the job, please contact:

• Prof. Dr. Ir. Wim Dewulf, dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (wim.dewulf@kuleuven.be, +32 16 372881) or
• Prof. Dr. Ir. Toon van Waterschoot, campus chair of Campus Group T Leuven (toon.vanwaterschoot@kuleuven.be, +32 485 910616)

If you have problems submitting your application online, please send an email to solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

Provisional dates in the selection procedure are April 12, 2027 for a visit to Group T Leuven campus and April 13, 2027 for the selection interview.

Please include the following documents with your application (further information can be found on the KU Leuven job site):

• a biosketch indicating your added value as an academic in relation to the core tasks of research, teaching and service provision throughout your career to date and in relation to your future activities (maximum 2 pages);
• a file with your five most important publications or realisations;
• a detailed CV (including a full list of publications and, where applicable, a portfolio of your architectural projects/ADRO);
• a research plan focusing on the development of your research line and associated research team, with an emphasis on collaboration with the colleague-researchers within the employing entity (maximum 4 pages);
• your vision on academic education and how you translate this vision into practice (maximum 2 pages);
• your contribution to service activities (internal representation in boards and councils, contributions to society through outreach and science communication) (maximum 1 page);
• your vision on leadership and how you apply this vision in practice in your managerial role and responsibilities (maximum 1 page).

We ask that all documents be submitted in English.

KU Leuven places great importance on research integrity and ethical conduct and will therefore ask you to sign an integrity statement upon appointment.

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.