Professor Humanitarian Engineering

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School , department Business Technology and Operations  , is looking for a part-time professor. 

More concretely your work package contains: 

Education and Research domain:

Research in humanitarian engineering, with a particular focus on sustainable, responsible and socially impactful engineering solutions for urban challenges related to poverty, inequality, mobility and inclusion. 

Education tasks:

•    You will undertake a limited teaching commitment, primarily consisting of supervising Master's and PhD students in areas related to humanitarian engineering, participatory approaches, sustainability, equity and inclusion in engineering practice.
•    You will also contribute to research seminars, doctoral training activities, and international academic exchanges within the field.

Research tasks:

You will develop and lead an internationally recognized research program examining existing engineering solutions and non-technical strategies addressing urban mobility and related urban challenges, with particular attention to how such interventions positively or negatively affect vulnerable populations.
You are expected to 
•    Engage engineers, together with representatives and stakeholders from vulnerable populations, as co-researchers and research participants.
•    Design and conduct participatory social-science research on engineers’ problem-solving approaches and perceptions of their societal roles and responsibilities, using an appropriate combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.
•    Develop and test a model and training approach that equips engineers to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and apply humanitarian-engineering principles in local urban contexts.
•    Disseminate the project and its results through international scientific and societal channels.

Other tasks:

• You participate actively in the scientific activities of the Mobilise Research Group and the House of Sustainable Transitions (HOST) and contribute to the further development of research on sustainable and inclusive urban transitions, including interdisciplinary collaboration and the preparation of externally funded research proposals.

• You strengthen synergies between engineering research, social-science research and sustainability-oriented research within VUB.
• You contribute to collaborative research and funding acquisition at local, European and international level.
• You engage with engineers, community organisations, policymakers and other societal stakeholders to promote knowledge exchange and societal impact.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• You hold a PhD degree in engineering relevant for the research field.

• You have at least 10 years of demonstrable professional and/or academic experience in humanitarian engineering, including both international and locally embedded contexts.

  You have at least 5 years of demonstrable experience in social-science research and are able to apply both quantitative and qualitative research methods to engineering-related societal questions.

  You have at least 5 years of demonstrable experience with research, practice or capacity-building related to equity and inclusion.

  You have an established research career with a strong record of scientific dissemination, peer-review processes and collaborative research activities.

  You have proven experience in acquiring external research funding and in developing, coordinating or leading funded research projects.

  You demonstrate strong oral, written and presentation skills, leadership experience with students and/or research collaborators, and the ability to create a positive and collaborative working environment.

  You demonstrate active engagement with societal or community initiatives relevant to humanitarian engineering, sustainability, equity or inclusion.

• You subscribe to the university’s vision of education. The full text in relation to this is available on the university website.

• Every first appointment is dependent upon the successful delivery of a teaching session.  

• Language regulations:

A member of the academic staff who is entrusted with a teaching assignment must also be able to demonstrate that the language of instruction is known at ERK level C1 through a qualification certificate or through an adequate diploma. The VUB also provides courses in, for example, academic English.

The administrative language of the VUB is Dutch. In case of insufficient knowledge of Dutch, the VUB will provide an integration course. After a maximum of five years, a member of the academic staff must demonstrate adequate knowledge of the administrative language (ERK level B2).

For a complete overview, please consult the complete language regulations on https://jobs.vub.be/content/Regulations-concerning-language-proficiency/. 

Certificates demonstrating knowledge of the language can already be added to the application. 

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered an appointment as professor, for an assignment of 0.1 FTE, for 3 years (renewable, on condition of the positive evaluation of the activities), with planned starting date 01/04/2027. 

You’ll receive a salary linked to one of the scales set by the government.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 23/10/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your motivation letter, including your vision on education and research, and an explanation about the development of your future research;
• your curriculum vitae, including you academic dossier; 
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni) and language certificates.

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file; 
• step 2: on the basis of a trial lesson, a presentation and a selection interview, the selection committee identifies your competences;
• step 3: a final interview with the dean for the first ranked candidate.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Prof. Dr. Imre Keserü at Imre.Keseru@vub.be or on +32 2 614 83 83.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.