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Tenure Track professor (research) "AI Research Driven Discovery of Sustainable Materials "

Category:  Academic Staff & Researchers

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 Engineering, Department of  Materials and Chemistry, is looking for a tenure track lecturer. 

 

More concretely your work package contains: 

 

Education and Research domain:

 

AI-Driven Discovery of Sustainable Materials, with a particular focus on Electrochemistry

 

Education tasks:

 

  • During the first five years of the mandate, the focus of your mandate will be primarily on research. However, you will contribute to teaching at the Master’s level in fields such as Electrochemistry and its applications, Energy Devices, and related materials modeling aspects.
  • Your teaching responsibilities, may, at a later stage, extend to Bachelor’s level courses.
  • You will supervise Master’s thesis projects
     

 

Research tasks:

 

The Sustainable Materials Engineering (SUME) research group within the Materials and Chemistry (MACH) department focuses on the processes, mechanisms, and applications of combinations of various materials (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites), and explores the development of hybrid materials with advanced functionalities. This professorship emphasizes novel functional materials in electrochemistry, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and physics-based modelling to drive breakthroughs in sustainable materials design and energy technologies. The successful candidate will utilize AI-driven insights, integrating multiscale computational and experimental approaches to develop innovative solutions to critical global challenges in energy and sustainability. 


To achieve this, you are expected to: 

  • Lead a team of researchers in the described topic, integrate your activities within the SUME group, and build an international network.
  • Draft and secure new research grants and projects, while familiarizing yourself with available funding programs for both fundamental and applied projects, including industry collaborations.
  • Supervise and coach PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

 

Other tasks:

 

  • You will participate in policy-support to reinforce the department’s operations.
  • You will be engaged in scientific and outreach activities.
     

 

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 have a Master’s degree in Engineering (Chemistry and/or Materials) or a Master’s degree in Science, accompanied by  a PhD in a related field.

 

  • You have experience in the following scientific domains:
    • Electrochemistry and its applications.
    • Materials and their structure-related functional properties.
    • AI-accelerated multiscale modelling and physics-based Machine Learning.
  • You have a proven track record in acquiring research funding and familiarity with funding programmes in Flanders, Brussels, Belgium, and the EU (strongly preferred).
     

 

  • 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. 

 

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 a tenure track appointment, for an assignment of 1 FTE, for 5 years, with eligibility for tenure in the rank of senior lecturer by the end of this initial period, with planned starting date 01/10/2025. 

 

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 14/03/2025, 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.

 

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Iris De Graeve at iris.de.graeve@vub.be or on +32 2 629 32 55.

 

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. 

DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS VACANCY?

You can contact the person mentioned in the job description.

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