Tenure Track research professor in "Modelling of ice sheet-climate"

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 Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Geography , is looking for a tenure track lecturer. 

More concretely your work package contains: 

Education and Research domain:

Ice and Climate

Education tasks:

• You will have reduced teaching duties (an average of max. 8 ECTS per semester) in the first five years. The teaching will be primarily oriented towards climatology, meteorology, climate change and glaciology-related courses in the BSc and MSc in Geography. Teaching-wise, the Geography Department offers programmes in Geography, Urbanism and Spatial Planning, and Urban Studies and seeks to further training on wider human-environment interactions.
• You are also expected to supervise bachelor and master theses.
• Following this period, you are expected to take full responsibility of several mandatory course units in the above-mentioned domains within the BSc and MSc in Geography, including course units taught in Dutch and English.
   

Research tasks:

• You will join the Ice and Climate section of the Physical Geography research group (FARD) of the Geography Department (https://fard.research.vub.be/) at the VUB. The research group mainly focuses on the dynamics of the continental cryosphere and its interaction with the climate system from a modelling point of view. We are looking for candidates who can strengthen the research capacity and expand the project portfolio of the Ice and Climate section of the Physical Geography research group. Candidates with expertise on the interactions between ice sheets and other components of the climate system (atmosphere, oceans, bedrock) are specifically encouraged to apply.
• You will develop groundbreaking research on modelling the interactions between ice sheets and other components of the climate system (e.g. atmosphere, ocean, bedrock) at a range of spatial and temporal scales. The research of the candidate will contribute to tackle the challenge of incorporating land ice in comprehensive General Circulation Models of the atmosphere and the oceans, and/or in high-resolution Regional Climate Models in fully two-way coupled models. The research should aim at better understanding the full scale of mutual ice sheet-climate interactions, not only for improved projections of the contribution of the ice sheets to sea level change and better understanding of climate variability, but also for a better assessment of the thresholds associated with suspected tipping points, including the study of analogues from key periods in the past.
• You are expected to generate quality research output, supervise PhD researchers, and apply for competitive research funding at relevant levels (i.e. Brussels Capital Region, Flanders, Belgium, and the European Union, etc.). 
• You will contribute to reinforce the international reputation of the research group and demonstrate the relevance of the research for society through relevant dissemination and outreach activities.
   

Other tasks:

• You will be a member of the Physical Geography research group, within the Department of Geography. You are expected to participate in operational and administrative aspects of the research group and department. This includes embedding your research activities within the broader research and outreach strategies of the research group and other relevant VUB groups. 
• You will also gradually take an active role in (various) faculty/department boards.
   

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 PhD degree in physical geography, geology, geophysics, meteorology or an equivalent subject.

• You have at least two years of postdoctoral research experience.
• You have experience in modelling ice sheets and their interactions with other components of the climate system (atmosphere, ocean, bedrock).
• You have an excellent track record in climate and/or glaciology research as shown by:
  • High-quality research publications in international peer-reviewed journals
  • Experience or potential for successfully acquiring research funding at different levels (national and/or international)
  • Experience with supervising MSc and/or PhD students
• You should be fluent in English. Knowledge of Dutch is an asset. If you are a non-Dutch-speaking candidate, you will have to demonstrate C1-level of Dutch after 5 years.
   

• 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 Prof. Matthieu Kervyn at +32 2 629 36 61 or on makervyn@vub.be.

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.