Job
Application deadline:

September 25, 2025

Professor (100%) in Prospective Architectural Theory

KU Leuven has a full-time vacancy for independent academic staff (ZAP) in the field of architectural theory. We are looking for internationally oriented candidates with an excellent research file and teaching competence in the area of theoretical reflection on architecture.

The structure of KU Leuven combines faculties and research departments in a multi-campus model.

The candidate will contribute to the research of the Department of Architecture within the research unit History, Theory and Criticism on the Sint-Lucas Brussels and Ghent Campus. This unit includes researchers from both the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Engineering Science. The Department offers an international research environment of excellence. www.architectuur.kuleuven.be

The candidate will contribute to the education of the Faculty of Architecture. The Faculty of Architecture consists of the academic architecture programmes (interior architecture, architecture, urban design and spatial planning and the educational master) on the Sint-Lucas Brussels and Ghent campus. The faculty is driven by a consciously assembled diversity of practices and is renowned for its future-oriented education that cultivates a freedom of exploration. www.arch.kuleuven.be.

Research

  • You will develop an international research programme in the field of architectural theory with an explicitly prospective approach.
  • As a faculty that intensively trains students to creatively explore the possibilities of spatial design, we have a duty to reflect on the experience of designed spaces and the significance—or redundancy—of architectural qualities. The need to question these matters is all the more urgent in light of the recent mediatization and digitalization of design culture.
  • Your research will therefore explicitly focus on recent developments and upcoming evolutions that will change the methods of architects and the functioning and experience of architecture. You actively seek out blind spots in current architectural reflection and/or define new challenges. You pay attention to the non-instrumental, artistic, and cultural value of architectural design.
  • Your work demonstrates an active interest in the influence of the development of new media, AI, imaging, etc., on contemporary architectural culture and the changing relationship with the arts. The emphasis is on 21st-century challenges for architectural imagination and shifts in the skills, techniques, and communication tools of the designer.
  • You have academic expertise in architectural theory that is not limited to a purely historical approach and goes beyond architectural criticism.
  • You work closely with members of the research department and contribute to the debate on current research issues.
  • You strive for excellence in your research and thus contribute to the further development of one (or more) of the research groups within the History, Theory and Criticism Research Unit.
  • You publish at the highest scientific level, secure funding for fundamental research, expand international collaboration, and supervise doctorates of international standing.
  • You are capable of securing competitive funding and developing an international collaboration around your research programme.

Teaching

You will provide high-quality education in the domain of theoretical reflection on (interior) architecture, both at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, on both locations (Brussels and Ghent), with a clear commitment to the overall quality of the programme. You will also contribute to the faculty’s educational project by supervising master’s theses and acting as a promoter for doctoral students.
You will develop teaching in accordance with KU Leuven’s vision of active and research-based education and utilise the opportunities for educational professionalisation offered by the faculty and the university. You are driven to consider how your research can inform design education.

Service

Scientific, societal, and internal service (management tasks) are also part of your responsibilities.
You play an active role in the image and profiling of the department/faculty with regard to current and new students and the broad professional field. This can be done through participation in public performances, information days, introductory moments, etc.

Profile

  • You hold a master’s degree in architecture, interior architecture, art history, history, philosophy, arts, design sciences, or an equivalent diploma, and a doctoral degree in one of the aforementioned disciplines with a dissertation topic related to the research domain mentioned above.
  • You have a strong research record in the field. The quality of your research is evidenced by publications in leading international academic journals and/or books, and by obtaining grants or research projects. Your career demonstrates international research experience.
  • If you have recently obtained your PhD, it is important that you substantiate your research and growth potential with academic references.
  • You have demonstrable qualities for academic teaching. Teaching experience is an advantage. You possess organisational skills and are collegial. You also have leadership capabilities in a university context.
  • A good knowledge of English is required. KU Leuven offers courses in academic English.
  • The administrative language of KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not know or have insufficient knowledge of Dutch at the time of hiring, KU Leuven provides a training programme that will enable you to participate in administrative meetings. Before you teach a course in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge of Dutch.

Offer

We offer a full-time position in an intellectually stimulating environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied scientific research. It is strongly inter- and multidisciplinary and strives for international excellence. It actively collaborates with its research partners both domestically and internationally. It offers its students an academic education based on high-level scientific research.
As member of the Faculty of Architecture, you will work on the Sint-Lucas campus both in Brussels and in Ghent. Your main workplace is determined by mutual agreement. The Department of Architecture is active at locations in Brussels, Ghent and Leuven.
Depending on your record and qualifications, 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 researchers 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 (or tenured) as an associate professor.
KU Leuven is well equipped to welcome foreign professors and their families and offers practical support in the areas of immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, …
To facilitate scientific integration and research in the first phase, start-up funding of 110 000 euro is offered to new professors, who have no substantial other funding and are appointed for at least 50%.

Interested?

For more information about the content of the position, you can contact:
– Prof. dr. Yves Schoonjans, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture (yves.schoonjans@kuleuven.be)
– Prof. dr. Rajesh Heynickx, Chair of the Department of Architecture (rajesh.heynickx@kuleuven.be)
– Prof. dr. Filip Mattens, Head of the Research Unit History, Theory and Criticism (filip.mattens@kuleuven.be)
You can apply, exclusively via our online application tool. If you encounter any problems while applying online, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.
Please include the following components in your application (more information can be found on the KU Leuven jobsite):
– your biosketch in which you indicate your added value as an academic for research, education and service to society of your past career and of your future activities (maximum 2 pages); it should include the following elements: 1) the crucial elements and their importance/impact from your past career; 2) the main lines of your future vision and the future activities you plan (with an emphasis on the first 5 years); 3) the added value of your activities for KU Leuven and the collaboration within faculty/department/campus;
– a file on your five most important publications or realisations;
– an extensive cv including a full publication list and if applicable a portfolio of your design projects;
– your research plan with focus on the development of your research line and research team in relation with the colleague-researchers of the entity of employment (maximum 5 pages);
– your vision on academic education and its organisation (maximum 2 pages);
– your contribution to service activities (internal representation through membership in councils and governing bodies, contributions to society from teaching and research, outreach and science communication) (maximum 1 page);
– your vision on leadership (maximum 1 page).
We ask that all documents be drawn up in English.
KU Leuven attaches great importance to scientific integrity, acting ethically and with integrity and will ask you to sign an integrity statement upon appointment.
KU Leuven is committed to creating a diverse environment and is therefore an equal opportunity employer. It explicitly encourages candidates from groups that are currently underrepresented at the university to submit their applications.
You can apply for this job no later than September 25, 2025 via the online application tool

 

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 this email address.

Do you have a question about the online application system? Please consult our FAQ or email us at apply@kuleuven.be

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