Connectionists: Professorship nonhuman primate neuroscience at KU Leuven

[Rufin Vogels]

The Department of Neurosciences of KU Leuven, invites scholars to apply for a full‐time research professorship in the research group neurophysiology. This position is funded by the Special Research Fund (BOFZAP), established by the Flemish Government. We are looking for motivated and internationally oriented candidates with an excellent research record and educational competence, in the field of brain research using non-human primates in combination with either other animal models or human brain research. The appointment is expected to start on October 1, 2023.

Applications will be evaluated in parallel and independently by 1) the KU Leuven Research Council in a competitive process across academic domains and 2) the faculty advisory committee. During the first 10 years, the teaching obligations as a research professor will be limited. Afterwards, the position will be transformed into a regular professorship.

The focus of the research should be on fundamental brain research using non-human primates, combined with other animal models or combined with human brain research. The research should be relevant to advance our understanding of the function of the human brain.

The appointed candidate will be affiliated with the Laboratory of Neuro- and Psychophysiology in the Department of Neurosciences. The main strength of the research group is the combination of single cell electrophysiology, functional imaging and state-of-the-art causal perturbation methods in nonhuman primates. We also have the rare potential to integrate the invasive monkey studies with non-invasive functional imaging and electrophysiological studies in humans and intracranial recordings in patient groups. As such, the Laboratory of Neuro-and Psychophysiology is at the forefront of comparative primate research.

The Department of Neurosciences aims for excellence in research and training in neurosciences both in normal and pathological conditions and from the molecular to the systems level. We perform top research in basic and clinical neurosciences and in translating novel insights and technological innovations towards improved clinical care and prevention. The department has 9 research groups collaborating with the university hospitals and the Flemish institute for biotechnology (VIB). The Department of Neurosciences is part of the Leuven Brain Institute.
Website unit<https://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/english/research/50000666/index.html>
Duties
Research
It is part of the assignment of the appointed candidate to develop, within the domain of brain research in non-human primates an international, competitive research programme, to pursue excellent scientific results at an international level and to support and promote national and international research partnerships. The candidate must meet a strong research profile or have the potential to do so. In addition, the candidate is expected to have a multidisciplinary attitude and a willingness to cooperate intensively with other researchers and research units at KU Leuven such as neurophysiology, experimental neurology, experimental neurosurgery, molecular neurobiology, ...

The candidate:

  *   Is an excellent, internationally oriented researcher and develops a research programme at the forefront in the field of brain research in non-human primates combined with either other animal models or human brain research.
  *   Strengthens existing research lines and brings complementary and/or additionally new expertise by working closely with the members of the research unit.
  *   Publishes at the highest scientific level in high impact journals in the field of neurosciences.
  *   Develops an own research programme, complementary to and in collaboration with principal investigators of the research group neurophysiology.
  *   Supervises master students, PhD students and postdocs at a high international level.
  *   Aims to acquire competitive research funding from national and/or international agencies and submits effective research project proposals for this purpose.
  *   Establishes both within KU Leuven, national and international partnerships in the context of the research programme.
  *   Strives for excellence in research and provides a contribution to the international research reputation of the research group neurophysiology, Department of Neurosciences and KU Leuven.
  *   Has a pronounced interest in fundamental research, but also pays attention to translational research.

Education
Although the position regards a research professorship at the start of employment, the candidate is expected to gradually contribute to state of the art teaching.
The candidate also contributes to the pedagogic project of the faculty/university. He/she develops teaching in accordance with KU Leuven’s vision on activating and research‐based education and makes use of the possibilities for the educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.

The assignment of the candidate to be appointed also includes a teaching assignment.

Service
Scientific, societal and internal services (administrative and/or institutional) are also part of the assignment.
Requirements

  *   You have a PhD degree relevant for (bio)medical sciences.  If you have recently obtained your PhD, it is important that you support your research and growth potential with academic references e.g. demonstrate potential through at least one top publication, academic references, promising research projects and articles in preparation.
  *   You have a strong research profile in the field and an indisputable research integrity.
  *   The quality of your research is proven by publications in the best neuroscience journals and by lectures at conferences or research institutes.
  *   International research experience is considered as an important advantage.
  *   You have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is a plus.
  *   You possess organizational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also have leadership skills within a university context.
  *   Your spoken and written English is excellent. 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 employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in administrative meetings. 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 an research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research. Our university is highly inter- and multidisciplinary focused and strives for international excellence. In this regard, we actively collaborate with research partners in Belgium and abroad. We provide our students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.
  *   Depending on your qualifications and academic experience, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the senior academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. In principle, junior researches are appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years; after this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed as an associate professor.
  *   You will work in Leuven, a historic and dynamic and vibrant city located in the heart of Belgium, within twenty minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
  *   KU Leuven is well set to welcome foreign professors and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, …
  *   In order to facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 100.000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding and appointed for at least 50%.

More information
full application and selection procedure Research professorhips (BOFZAP)<https://www.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/gedocumenteerd/index_en.html#details/9E7D6ECBCAECEA0F60626C92219D609194F5886C>


Interested?
More information on the content of the job can be obtained from the academic contact person prof. dr. Rufin Vogels (rufin.vogels at kuleuven.be) from the research group neurophysiology or from the Department Chair prof. dr. Patrick Dupont (Patrick.dupont at kuleuven.be).

More information on the guidelines, regulations and application file is available from Ms. Kristin Vermeylen (kristin.vermeylen at kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 32 09 07) or Ms. Christelle Maeyaert (christelle.maeyaert at kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 31 41 94).

You can apply for this job no later than September 15, 2022 via the online application tool<http://www.kuleuven.be/eapplyingforjobs/60124713>
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR at kuleuven.be.


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