KU Leuven has a vacancy for a full-time tenure track position as a junior professor (ZAP) in the field of architectural history and theory. We are looking for internationally oriented candidates with an excellent research file and with teaching competence specialized in architectural theory of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The structure of KU Leuven combines research departments and faculties in a multi-campus model.
The candidate will contribute to the research of the Department of Architecture within the research section History, Theory and Criticism, which unites researchers from both the Faculty of Engineering Science and the Faculty of Architecture. The Department offers an international research environment of excellence. Research at the Department on architectural history and theory of the modern period can boast a long and rich tradition that has gained international fame.
The candidate will contribute to the education of the Faculty of Engineering Science. The Faculty provides education at bachelor's, master's and advanced master's level.
Duties
Research
● You will develop an international research programme in the field of architectural history and theory for the period from the 19th century to the present with an emphasis on the 20th century after WWII. You have a perspective that extends beyond the borders of the Western world, and you work in an interdisciplinary manner and from current critical frameworks including -but not limited to -globalization, postcolonialism, feminism, ecology, New Materialism, etc.
You use innovative research methods and pay attention to the interaction between architecture and the transformation of urban space.
● You will work closely with the members of the research section and contribute to the debate on current research issues.
● You are interested in developing cooperation with other sections in the Department and practice (museums, architectural
institutions, architectural firms, etc.). You are willing to think about how your research can feed design education.
● You strive for excellence in your research and thus contribute to the further development of (one of) the research section(s) of the Department of History, Theory and Criticism.
● You will publish at a high scientific level, supervise PhD students and develop international cooperation. You show the ambition to apply for project funding at national and international level.
Teaching
● Within the programmes at the Faculty of Engineering Science that intensively challenge students to explore the possibilities of spatial design in a creative way and think about the meaning of architecture for society in the present, past and future. You will provide high-quality education in the field of architectural history and theoretical reflection on architecture, both in the Bachelor and Master of Architectural Engineering at the Campus Arenberg (Heverlee), with a clear commitment to the quality of the programme as a whole. Willingness to contribute to design studios is an added value. You are a supervisor of master's theses and doctorates.
● You will develop your education in accordance with the vision of KU Leuven: activating and research-based. You will also make use of the opportunities for educational professionalisation offered by the faculty and the university.
Service
Scientific, social and internal services (management tasks) are also part of your mission.
Profile
● You hold a master's degree in architectural engineering/architecture, art history, history, or equivalent and have a doctorate (PhD) in one of the aforementioned disciplines.
● You have a strong research file in the field. The quality of research is demonstrated by publications in leading international academic journals and/or books. You have (starting) experience in acquiring and leading research projects. Your career demonstrates international research experience.
● You will work closely with the members of the section and other colleagues of the Department. You would like to promote
collaboration with other teams within the faculty.
● You have demonstrable qualities for academic education. Teaching experience is a plus.
● You are a team player and aspire to be a constructive and supportive leader. You are willing to develop leadership and interpersonal skills, and you are also motivated to take on managerial leadership tasks.
● A good knowledge of English is a requirement. KU Leuven offers 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 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, respectively English, to the required standard.
Offer
● We offer an employment of 1.0 FTE in an intellectually challenging environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied scientific research. It has a strong interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary focus and strives for international excellence. The Department of Architecture actively collaborates with national and international research partners. She offers her students an academic education based on high-level scientific research.
● Junior researchers are appointed as assistant professor tenure track for a period of 5 years; after that, in case of positive evaluation, they are appointed as associate professor.
● To stimulate the development of a new line of research, you will receive funding for a four-year PhD project along with a start-up grant of €110,000 after approval of a research plan.
● KU Leuven is excellently equipped to receive foreign professors and their families and offers practical support in the areas of immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, career guidance for partners etc.
Interested?
For more information about the content of the position, please contact:
Prof. Rajesh Heynickx, Chair of the Department of Architecture (Rajesh.Heynickx@kuleuven.be)
Prof. Merlijn Hurx, contact person for History, Theory and Criticism (Merlijn.Hurx@kuleuven.be)
You can apply exclusively through our online application. If you have problems applying online, you can contact: solliciteren@kuleuven.be
The interviews are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. We kindly ask that you ensure your availability on this date.
Add the following parts to your application in English (more information can be found on the KU Leuven job site):
• a biosketch in which you demonstrate your added value as an academic for the core tasks of research, education and service in your past career and for your future activities (maximum 2 pages);
• a file on your five most important publications or achievements;
• a comprehensive CV (including a complete list of publications and, if applicable, a portfolio of your architectural projects);
• a research plan with attention to the development of a line of research and associated research team with an eye for collaboration with fellow researchers within the entity of employment (maximum 4 pages);
• your vision of academic education and its organisation (maximum 2 pages);
• your contribution to service activities (membership of councils and governing bodies, contributions to society through education and research, outreach and science communication) (maximum 1 page);
• your vision on leadership (maximum 1 page).
