Academic Position in Operations Management

Academic position in Operations Management

(ref. ZAP-2024-38)

The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) of the KU Leuven has a vacancy for a full-time academic position in the Operations Management department starting on September 1st, 2025. We look for motivated junior candidates with an excellent or promising track record in research and demonstrable teaching skills in Operations Management.

Unit website

Research

You are an ambitious, internationally oriented researcher in the domain of Operations Management or in a related domain (e.g., Supply Chain Management, Operations Research). You publish in international peer-reviewed top journals within the field, attract external research funding, develop international research projects, and advise doctoral students. You strive for excellence in research and as such contribute to the reputation of the Faculty of Economics and Business. You have an outspoken interest in fundamental scientific research and also perceive opportunities for valorization of research findings and applied research.

Teaching

You will teach courses in the field of Supply Chain Management. The first years you will have a teaching load of 6 credits at the Antwerp campus. You also contribute to the further development of the education for which the Operations Management department is responsible and you supervise master’s theses. 

You develop teaching methods in line with the KU Leuven approach of research-based education with an emphasis on activating students (see http://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/education-at-ku-leuven). You take advantage of the opportunities offered by the faculty and the university to further develop your teaching skills. You contribute to the educational philosophy of the university, and you show commitment to uphold the high standards of its programs.

Service

You show a willingness to integrate in the research department, to actively participate in and contribute to professional group activities, and to take up internal service duties within the faculty and research department. You put teaching and research activities at the service of society and aim to contribute to the broader social debate. Since you will be recruited in a tenure track assistant professor position, you will start with limited service duties. 

Profile

You have, at latest on September 1, 2025, a PhD in Economics or Business with an emphasis on Operations Management or a PhD in a related domain (e.g. Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Operations Research) with evidence of expertise in this field of research. 

You have excellent research potential. The quality of your research is demonstrated by the quality of your PhD dissertation, promising research projects and papers, publications in international peer-reviewed top-tier journals and/or international research experience. Applicants can also show research excellence through a pipeline of promising research projects, papers and academic references. Experience in developing and writing grant proposals, obtaining competitive research funding and a strong international network (as evidenced by e.g. prior career, stays abroad, co-authorships, co-promotorships of projects) are a plus. 

You can show evidence of strong didactical skills and preferably have teaching experience in the field of Operations Management. Teaching experience in the field of Supply Chain Management is a plus. You have the necessary communication and organizational skills and are a team player.

Your written and spoken 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, you can follow language training provided by KU Leuven to enable you to take part in administrative meetings. Before teaching courses in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch to the required standard. 

Offer

The vacancy is only open for junior researchers. PhD students in the final phase of their PhD may also apply, as long as they obtain their PhD by September 1, 2025. The successful candidate will be appointed as assistant professor in tenure track for a period of 5 years, which in case of a positive evaluation is followed by an appointment as a tenured associate professor.

You will join a dynamic and internationally oriented research environment where research is done in close cooperation with colleagues from the Operations Management department of all FEB campuses. This full-time position initially requires a clear commitment in terms of teaching in the study programs offered on the Antwerp campus. 

The Faculty of Economics and Business has systematically been ranked highly by several independent accreditation committees regarding the quality of its research and teaching programs. The FEB has recently acquired the renowned EQUIS accreditation and benefits from an extensive national and international network, both in academia and in the business world. For more information, please consult: http://feb.kuleuven.be/eng/research and http://feb.kuleuven.be/focus.

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, and partner career coaching, among others. To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 110 000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding. 

The KU Leuven pursues a policy of equal opportunity and diversity and explicitly encourages underrepresented groups at the university to apply. For more information, please consult: http://feb.kuleuven.be/eng/about-feb/jobs.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Maxi Udenio Castro, Chair of the search committee, mail: maxi.udenio@kuleuven.be.

External reference letters (required for junior applicants) can be sent directly to evi.fosse@kuleuven.be.

For this vacancy, we expect candidates to also enclose the following documents: 

• A research statement (max. 2 pages) that outlines your research strategy in terms of your current ánd future research including international collaborations and how your strategy will complement and augment existing research within the Operations Management department at KU Leuven;
• A teaching statement (max. 1 page) that outlines how your profile fits with the teaching duties and that outlines your general teaching vision, also in terms of teaching to larger groups, activating students and use of modern teaching technologies.

For more detailed information, check the job application procedure on the following website: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/academic-staff/senior-academic-staff-tenure-track-information#job-application.

For problems with online applying, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than October 30, 2024 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.

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