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KU Leuven has a full-time academic vacancy in the area of Building Information Modeling (BIM) at Ghent campus. We are looking for internationally orientated candidates with an excellent [interdisciplinary] research record and with educational competencies within the field of BIM. The successful applicant will be appointed in the Department of Civil Engineering and 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 Building Physics and Sustainable Design section (https://iiw.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/building-physics-and-sustainable-design) can build upon a solid research infrastructure, an extensive international network, connections with companies and non-profit organizations, a stable offer of talented doctoral students and scientific staff, and a supportive working environment. This vacancy focuses on the development, improvement, and implementation of BIM-based workflows in all phases of the life cycle (design, construction, and execution) of buildings and the built environment. This position will closely collaborate with the Department of Geomatics within the Department of Civil Engineering (https://iiw.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/geomatics).

Research

• You develop a research programme at an international level in the field of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the built environment with particular attention to sustainability, circularity, and climate-neutral construction. The research encompasses various scales: from individual building elements to buildings, neighborhoods, and urban environments. You study the different stages within the construction process: from design to construction, use, and reuse. You investigate the potential contribution of the BIM model in (1) the design phase, including the integration of BIM in preliminary design, studies, and engineering; (2) the execution phase, focusing on process optimization, on-site production, and prefabricated production; (3) the operational phase, with attention to applications such as monitoring and modeling of indoor environments and building installations; (4) the end-of-life phase, with attention to maintenance, repair, and reuse. Additionally, you explore the possibilities of BIM as a tool to improve the sustainability and circularity of the built environment. BIM can be integrated into life cycle assessment (LCA) through automatic inventory of used building elements and materials and optimization of the digital workflow for evaluating life cycle environmental effects and costs.


• You contribute to strengthening existing research themes and bring complementary expertise to the Building Physics and Sustainable Design section. Given the connection of the theme of climate-neutral construction with various architectural research domains, you seek collaboration with all departments within the Department of Civil Engineering, as well as with relevant departments outside the Department.


• You engage in targeted scientific research, resulting in PhD’s and publications that meet international standards and lead to broad international recognition.


• You support or initiate a network of companies through the valorisation of research results and by delivering industrial services, aimed at strengthening industrial innovation.


• As part of your research programme, you develop international partnerships, within the academic world as well as with industrial and societal partners.


• You are able to acquire competitive funding, both project-based government funding as well as industrial funding. 


• You contribute to the further development and the international reputation of the Building Physics and Sustainable Design section and the faculty.


• You pay the required attention to the technology transfer and application of the results of your research in industry/government/society.

Teaching

• You provide high-quality education for both bachelor and master students in the field of Building Information Modeling and building management, with a clear commitment to the quality of the programme as a whole. All professors are expected to teach a few basic undergraduate courses.


• 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.


• In addition to your teaching assignment at Ghent Campus and Bruges Campus, as part of the multicampus education framework, a teaching assignment at another campus is also possible.

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 maintain close contact with the local industry.


• 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,...

Profile

• You hold a PhD degree in engineering technology, engineering science, architecture, or urban and spatial planning. You have a doctoral thesis related to Building Information Modeling and/or relevant industrial experience in BIM.


• You have a strong research track record in the discipline, evidenced by your publications or by your research experience in industry. You have the ambition to contribute to the valorisation of research in industry and in society. International experience is an important advantage.


• You have verifiable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.


• You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership competencies in a university or industry context.


• A good command of English is required. KU Leuven provides courses in academic English.


• The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of your employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in meetings and to acquire the level of Dutch that is required for tenure. Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch resp. English to the required standard.

Offer

• We offer full-time employment in an intellectually challenging environment.


• KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research. Our university is highly focused on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and strives for international excellence. In this regard, the university actively works together with research partners in Belgium and abroad and provides its students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.


• You will work at the KU Leuven Campus in Ghent, in a historic city with a 40-minute rail connection to Brussels, and about three hours train to Paris, London and Amsterdam. Other campuses will be able to make use of your expertise in teaching.


• The position is open for junior researchers who are appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years. At the end of this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed (or tenured) as associate professor.


• To facilitate scientific integration and research in the first phase, a research position equivalent to a PhD fellowship for 4 years is made available. If you have no other substantial funding available, you can also apply for a start-up grant of EUR 100.000, on the condition that you are appointed for at least 50%.


• KU Leuven is well set to welcome foreign professors and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration & administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, …

Interested?

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 hr.diversiteit@kuleuven.be