Research professor in Genomics Medicine (BOFZAP)
KU Leuven is an autonomous university. It was founded in 1425. It was born of and has grown within the Catholic tradition.
The Department of Human Genetics of KU Leuven, invites candidates to apply for a full-time research professorship. 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 with educational competence in the field of Genomics Medicine. The appointment is expected to start on October 1, 2027. 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.
Genomics is transforming medicine. Genomic medicine operates at the interface of biomedical and data sciences, integrating clinical genetics with population genomics and challenging existing ethical and legal frameworks. It seeks to combine knowledge of the genomics of normal development, ageing, and disease with a range of methodologies such as molecular, genomic, procedural, infrastructural, computational, screening, and AI-based approaches to translate genomic information into healthcare practice. The candidate is expected to contribute to the development of new models of genomic healthcare delivery, including attention for organizational, clinical, and policy dimensions. A close collaboration with the Center for Human Genetics (CME) is expected to enable co-development of care pathways and quality frameworks, and to ensure coherent integration with national system actors. The position therefore requires strong alignment with the clinical and translational genomics activities embedded within CME. The successful candidate will contribute to shaping future genomic healthcare models that are scalable, ethically robust, and aligned with emerging national and international policy frameworks. You strive for excellence in your research and thus contribute to the further scientific development of the department.
The Department of Human Genetics (DME) is a leading European center for Human Genetics. Its primary objectives revolve around achieving excellence in research, education, and translational applications. These efforts aim to enhance genetic diagnosis, counselling, therapy, and preventive measures. The department's research portfolio encompasses both fundamental and clinical research conducted across various domains and models, including cultured cells, animal models, and human subjects. The research focus of DME is genome structure and function, and development and use of state of the art genomics and bioinformatics methodologies and deploying them for the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders as well as prevention of disease in susceptible individuals.
It is part of the assignment of the appointed candidate to develop, within the domain of Genomics Medicine 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 and the University Hospitals Leuven.
The candidate:
* Is an excellent, internationally oriented researcher and develops a research programme at the forefront in the field of Genomics Medicine.
* Strengthens existing research lines and brings complementary and/or additionally new expertise by working closely with the members of the Department of Human Genetics (KU Leuven) and the Center for Human Genetics (UZ Leuven).
* Publishes at the highest scientific level e.g. articles in various leading international top journals.
* Develops an own research group.
* 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 Department of Human Genetics and the KU Leuven.
Teaching
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 KU Leuven. 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.
Service
Scientific, societal and internal services (administrative and/or institutional) are also part of the assignment.
Requirements
* You are holder of a PhD degree on a topic related to the research domaineg.molecular biology,(bio) medical sciences, clinical genetics, data 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 an strong research profile in the field and an indisputable research integrity.
* The quality of your research is proven by publications in prominent, international top journals in the domains of Genetics & Genomics.
* You have a proven track record of acquiring competitive funding.
* 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 have experience with multidisciplinary research and clinical outreach.
* You possess leadership (management) capacities within an academic 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 respectively 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 110.000 euro is offered to new professors (subject to eligibility criteria).
Before you start your application, please read the full description of the procedure and important information about attachments and templates under 'Call for Research Professorships (BOFZAP)' and 'Procedure application and selection’ under 'More information'.
More information on the content of the job can be obtained from the academic contact person Prof. dr. Bernard Thienpont, mail: bernard.thienpont@kuleuven.be.
More information on the guidelines, regulations and application file is available from Ms. Kristin Vermeylen (kristin.vermeylen@kuleuven.be) or Ms. Martine van Nierop (martine.vannieropt@kuleuven.be, tel. +32 16 32 76 98).
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.
Job details
Title
Research professor in Genomics Medicine (BOFZAP)
2026-09-01 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)
2026-09-01 23:59 (CET)
Closing on: 2026-09-01 (Europe/Brussels)
Closing on: 2026-07-31 (Europe/Brussels)
Closing on: 2026-04-20 (Europe/Brussels)
Closing on: 2026-04-20 (Europe/Brussels)
Closing on: 2026-04-30 (Europe/Brussels)
Closing on: 2026-09-01 (Europe/Brussels)
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