6 academic positions with a focus on research

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Academic Positions with a focus on research

Ghent University announces 6 vacancies for full-time professorial posts (“ZAP” level) taking effect on 1 September 2021. The positions, funded by the Special Research Fund (BOF), are open to candidates who do not yet hold a full-time professorial post (ZAP post) at Ghent University and will be taken up in the rank of assistant professor (tenure track), associate professor, full professor (hoogleraar) or senior full professor (gewoon hoogleraar). The positions are open in all fields of research.

ASSIGNMENT

Taking up this position implies the privilege of focusing almost exclusively on research activities for a period of 5 years, with a teaching load limited to no more than 8 credits per semester, on average over a period of 3 years. This appointment can be renewed to a maximum of 10 years. Afterwards, the amount of time devoted to teaching, research and academic services can be modified by the board of governors of the university, in consultation with the appointed professor.

As a start-up package, each of these staff members will receive a research grant of €210.000 to contribute towards the personnel, operating and/or equipment costs of establishing a research team.

PROFILE

Admission requirements

• You do not yet hold a full-time professorial post (ZAP post) at Ghent University;
• You are a thesis-based doctorate holder. Upon evaluation of a foreign (non-EU) diploma, a certificate of equivalence may still have to be requested at NARIC;
• You have been awarded the first PhD degree at least 4 and up to 12 years prior to 1 September 2021 (date on the PhD diploma). The effective elapsed time since the award of the first PhD can be reduced in the following circumstances where they apply to the Applicant:
  • For maternity: the effective elapsed time since the award of the first PhD will be considered reduced by 18 months or if longer by the documented amount of leave actually taken for each child born before or after the PhD award.;
  • For paternity , the effective elapsed time since the award of the first PhD will be considered reduced by the actual amount of paternity leave taken for each child born before or after the PhD award;
  • For long-term illness (over ninety days for the applicant or a close family member ; i.e. child, spouse, parent or sibling ), clinical training or national service the effective elapsed time since the award of the first PhD will be considered reduced by the documented amount of leave actually taken by the Principal Investigator for each incident which occurred after the PhD award.
• If you are selected to take up a position, it will be expected that you apply at least once during your mandate as professor with a primary focus on research, for an ERC Starting, Consolidator, Synergy or Advanced Grant.
• This call aims at candidates who have the potential to obtain an ERC Grant.

Experience

• You have already conducted excellent scientific research in a field of study, reflected by, among other things, a strong record of international publications (journals and/or books) with peer review and an obvious international profile;
• You have extensive experience in supervising research and coaching Ph.D. students;
• You have scientific leadership: scientific leadership refers to a person’s ability to pursue scientific questions independently, confidently and creatively, combined with the ability to inspire others towards a common vision. This requires good personal relations within a team with room for critical reflection;
• Your scientific work has a clear scientific and/or economic and/or social impact. You can demonstrate exceptional realisations in your field of research;
• You are didactically skilled to teach university students to develop academic competences;
• Recommended are:
  • Positively evaluated experience in provided or organized academic lecturing;
  • International mobility, among other things thanks to research stays at institutions external to the one where you acquired your highest academic degree or equivalent competences acquired through other forms of internationalisation (i.a.. several shorter study stays, international visibility, internationalisation within your own research institution);
  • Professionalisation of education: You are committed to continue developing your teaching competences or other education-related tasks.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Depending on the specific profile of the selected candidate, the degree of assistant professor (Tenure Track), associate professor, full professor or senior full professor is awarded. This will be decided by the University Board as proposed by the Faculty Board.

In the case of assistant professor TT

• We offer you a temporary appointment as an assistant professor in a tenure track system for a term of five years with a focus on research. If positively evaluated by the University Board, the term of office will be transferred into a permanent appointment as an associate professor. At that moment the time devoted to research, education and academic services may be altered.

In the case of associate professor, full professor or senior full professor

• We offer you a permanent appointment in the starting grade of associate professor, full professor or senior full professor, without prejudice to the possibility of a temporary appointment offered in article V.28 of the Codex of Higher Education. During the first period of 5 years, your focus is primarily on research. Subsequently, the time devoted to research, education and academic services may be altered.

The recruitment is possible no sooner than 1 September 2021.

OUR OFFER

The career and evaluation policy for Professorial Staff is based on talent development and growth, prioritizing vision development and strategy – at the personal as well as the group level. At Ghent University we focus on career support and coaching of the Professorial Staff in the different phases of the career. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/work/mobility-career/career-aspects/professorial-staff.

Ghent University is committed to properly welcoming new professorial staff members and offering them appropriate guidance. The basic teacher training and courses of ‘Dutch’ and ‘English’ for foreign-speaking lecturers are only a few examples of our wide range of training and education opportunities. Furthermore, each Ghent University staff member can count on a number of benefits such as a bike allowance, reimbursement of public transport commuting costs, daycare, a wide range of sports facilities and EcoCheques. A complete overview of all our employee benefits (in Dutch).

Ghent University also invests in welcoming international professorial staff. It offers various housing options, a relocation bonus, the International School for school-aged children (with a discount on the tuition fee), support when registering at the City of Ghent, support with the procedure of family reunification and other administrative matters in connection with moving to Ghent. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/living.

Candidates who are newly appointed at Ghent University with an appointment as autonomous academic staff of at least 50% or candidates whose appointment as autonomous academic staff at Ghent University is increased to a minimum of 50% receive a Starting Grant of €210.000 to contribute towards the personnel, operating and/or equipment costs of establishing a research team.

GENDER AND DIVERSITY

Ghent University conducts an equal opportunities policy and encourages everyone to apply. Applications of persons from underrepresented groups are especially welcomed.

Ghent University strives for a gender balance in which a maximum of 60% of the academic staff with a PhD degree is of the same gender. Therefore a quota will be applied in the preselection in which the percentage of female candidates that is invited for the final selection equals at least the percentage of female candidates that applied for these positions.

As long as this goal is not achieved at the level of the group of scientific disciplines involved, the university board will in principle, for positions within this group, give priority to candidates of the underrepresented gender but only in case of equal qualifications of the applicants.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

After the final application date, all received applications will be sent to the Research coordination Office. There the applications will be checked on eligibility. The applications are then assigned to one of the 4 evaluation committees of the research council:

1) Scientific Committee for the Humanities and Social and Behavioural Sciences

2) Scientific Committee for Exact and Applied Sciences

3) Scientific Committee for Biomedical and Medical Sciences

4) Interdisciplinary committee

The selection consists of 3 rounds:

1. The first selection round will be based on the information provided in part I of the application, the focus is on the quality and the potential of the candidate;
2. In the second selection round, also the information in part II will be considered, with special attention paid to the research project, the long term vision and the integration at Ghent University;
3. For the candidates selected for the third selection round, external referees will be consulted, who will be asked to submit a written evaluation report. In this final selection round the preselected candidates will be invited to present their research program via an oral presentation to the entire Research Council of Ghent University.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not sent through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘Cv’: the form https://www.ugent.be/nl/vacatures/zap/sollicitatieformulieren-zap/bof-zap_2021_application-form merged into one pdf-file of maximum 10 MB;
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of your doctoral degree. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field ‘Certificate of equivalence’: only for diplomas awarded outside the European Union: certificate of equivalence (NARIC) (if already in your possession).

MORE INFORMATION

For further information regarding this vacancy, please contact the Research Coordination Office, tel. +32-09-264-36-32, email: BOF@ugent.be.