You hold a PhD in in Literary Studies or Cultural Studies (or equivalent within the Humanities) and have successfully defended your dissertation at the time of submitting your application. You have a proven expertise in the narrative analysis of stories in word and/or image, with a focus on inclusive and/or sustainability-related storytelling. You are familiar with narratological traditions, show a strong and broad theoretical and methodological interest (e.g. in relation to cultural theory, language and discourse, and/or intermediality and multimodality), and enjoy working at the intersection of disciplines. You are open to critical reflection on nuanced interpretations of the research concepts of sustainability and storytelling, and you are willing to collaborate with societal and non-academic partners. You have excellent teaching skills and an affinity with designing and delivering multi-faceted university education.
You have a strong and validated, international academic portfolio with highly regarded publications in your field. You also have a clear vision of how your research can develop further in relation to the available research expertise.
You openly and enthusiastically contribute to the university study programmes of the future, organized at the Kortrijk campus and, more broadly, within the Faculty of Arts in a spirit of open collaboration. Organisational skills, leadership qualities and good social skills are a must. Experience with scientific outreach or collaboration with the work field is a plus.
A good knowledge of English is required. 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, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch to the required standard.
KU Leuven is the largest university in Belgium and is consistently ranked within the top 10 universities in Europe. The University belongs to the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and attaches great importance to attracting and appreciating talent. At the Faculty of Arts, research is conducted in the fields of Arabic and Islamic studies, archaeology, art history, Chinese studies, history, Japanese studies, musicology, linguistics, literary and cultural studies and translation and interpretation studies. The Faculty employs over 800 junior and senior researchers, and teaches around 4,500 students in various study programmes at its campuses in Antwerp, Brussels, Kortrijk and Leuven. The Faculty strives to be an open and inclusive environment, with a focus on dialogue, social safety, sustainability and a healthy work-life balance, We are looking for a motivated lecturer and researcher to be part of the Literary Studies and Cultural Studies Research Unit. The Literary Studies and Cultural Studies Research Unit is renowned for its research on literature and culture from antiquity to the present, employing both traditional and innovative methodologies. It has about 150 senior and junior researchers
We offer a full-time tenure-track professorship (ZAP) in a dynamic faculty with diverse disciplines. You will be part of an intellectually challenging and international environment, with plenty of space and opportunity to grow as a lecturer and researcher, thus making a significant contribution to society. KU Leuven provides support and benefits for starting professors who have a partner and/or family, cf. www.kuleuven.be/english/life-at-ku-leuven/partner-and-family.
You will be appointed as tenure-track professor for a period of five years. After a positive assessment following the five-year term, you will receive a permanent professorship at the level of ‘hoofddocent’ (associate professor). Within this function promotions to higher academic degrees are possible. All academic degrees have the ius promovendi.
You will work at the Kortrijk campus, in a historic and lively city in the west of Belgium, only thirty minutes from Ghent, forty-five from Bruges and right next to Lille (France). Brussels, the capital of the European Union, is only ninety minutes away while Paris, London and Amsterdam can be reached by train in two to three hours.
The start date for this position is 1 September 2026. To facilitate scientific integration and the start-up of research, KU Leuven provides start-up funding of 110,000 euros for new professors.
KU Leuven is well equipped to welcome foreign professors and their families and offers practical support with immigration and administration, housing, childcare and career coaching for the partner.