POSITION IN SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY AND THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS
(ref. ZAP-2021-120)
Employment percentage: Full-time
Location: Leuven
Research Unit of Systematic Theology and the Study of Religions
Apply up to and including: Monday, January 10, 2022
Profile: Constructing Catholic Theology in a Global Context The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies is making available a full-time position of assistant professor, associate professor or (full) professor dedicated to research, teaching and administrative service to the Faculty in the field of Systematic Theology and the Study of Religions. KU Leuven is a university with international standing and a strong focus on education based on innovative academic research. Situated at the crossroads of university, religion and society, the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies is a unique, international and stimulating environment for high-level research, qualitative education and innovative service in Theology and Religious Studies. The Faculty develops its characteristic historical and hermeneutical theological approach in an interdisciplinary setting and in dialogue with the contemporary secularized and religiously pluralistic context.
Website unit
Duties
Research
The candidate must conduct systematic theological research into selected aspects of the Catholic doctrinal tradition in dialogue with other disciplines and religions. More specifically, the successful candidate will be expected to develop a program of research in the field of Systematic Theology and the Study of Religions, to produce academic work that meets international standards of academic excellence, and to support and promote national and international cooperation with respect to the place and significance of Catholic traditions in a world characterized by an increasing process of interdisciplinary and interreligious exchange. The candidate makes an important contribution to the efforts of the Faculty and the Research Unit to obtain research funding.
Education
The responsibilities of the candidate include the provision of, and ongoing attention to, education, in both English and Dutch, in the field of systematic theology and the study of religion. These educational duties may include the teaching of the course Religie, zingeving en levensbeschouwing (Religion, the quest for meaning, and worldviews) in other faculties of the university.
The candidate will also be expected to supervise bachelor and master students during the preparation of their theses, and doctoral students during their doctoral research and the composition of their doctoral dissertations in those research domains specified in this job description.
The quality, orientation and academic content of the educational activities undertaken by the applicant must meet the standards of academic education. These activities must be in conformity with the educational vision proposed by the KU Leuven. It is to be taken for granted that the candidate is committed to the promotion of the quality of the educational program in its entirety.
Service
In addition to serving the university as a member of the academic staff, the candidate will be expected to assume managerial and administrative responsibilities in the Faculty and the university.
Profile
The candidate must hold the degree of Doctor in Theology (and a canonical degree of Sacrae Theologiae Doctor) or the degree of PhD in Theology and conversant with the study of religions and the tradition of Catholic faith in the contemporary context. The candidate’s expertise must include knowledge of the field that is rooted in both systematic theology and the study of religions. The candidate must combine good social skills with a collegial attitude, and be an effective communicator.
The candidate must be an outstanding researcher and teacher, so as to be able to contribute to the quality of the research and education provided by both the research unit and the programs in which the candidate participates. The quality of the candidate’s research must be manifest in publications in international journals, involvement in research groups and networks, and the acquisition of research funding. International research experience is clearly an asset.
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 teach courses in Dutch and to take part in administrative meetings. Candidates will be expected to have acquired, within five years, the skills to teach in Dutch (level C1 of the European Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR)). A very good knowledge of English is also a requisite.
Offer
We offer a full-time job in an intellectually stimulating context.
KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied research. It is highly inter- and multidisciplinary focused and strives for international excellence. To achieve this, it cooperates actively with its research partner in Belgium and abroad. At the same time, it offers its students an academic formation based on high-level research.
You will work in Leuven, a historic, dynamic and lively city located in the heart of Belgium, within 20 minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two and a half hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
KU Leuven is well equipped to welcome foreign professors and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, etc.
To facilitate academic onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase, a starting grant of 100.000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding, appointed for at least 50%.
The position is available on a full-time basis from 1 September 2022.
The level of entry into the ranks of the academic personnel is dependent upon the qualifications of the candidate. We are looking for a junior or senior researcher. As a rule, junior researchers are appointed at the level of assistant professor (tenure track) for a period of 5 years; following this period, they will, pending a positive evaluation, be offered a tenured position as associate professor. Senior researchers will be appointed at the level of assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor, depending on their record and qualifications.
Interested?
For more information, please contact Prof. Dr. Johan De Tavernier, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Sint-Michielsstraat 4, bus 3100, B-3000 Leuven, e-mail:
johan.detavernier@kuleuven.be. In case you encounter problems in the process of submitting your application electronically, please contact
solliciteren@kuleuven.be.
In the online application tool, you must upload the following documents in pdf format:
1) Your biosketch;
2) A file with your five most important publications or realizations;
3) An extensive CV with a full publication list included;
4) A research statement in which you provide information about the innovative research program you want to propose in your area of research (max. 2 pages, to be submitted as ‘additional information
regarding your research’);
5) Your approach to academic teaching (max. 1 page, to be submitted as ‘additional information regarding your teaching’).
The KU Leuven considers scientific integrity as well as ethical and integral behaviour very important. Those who are hired are asked to sign a declaration along those lines.
You can apply for this job no later than January 10, 2022 via the
online application tool
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@kuleuven.be.