Professor in Plant biotechnology (BOF) (26586)

    →   Apply until 25/02/2024 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels time)
    →   Discipline: Plant biotechnology
    →   100% Assistant professor tenure track
    →   Faculty of Bioscience Engineering 
    →   Reference number: 202311/BW25/ZAP/006

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is one of the most important education and research institutions in the Low Countries. On a daily basis, over 15,000 staff members and 50,000 students implement its motto "Dare to Think". Ghent University's mission statement is characterised by qualitative education, internationally renowned research and a pluralistic social responsibility.

ASSIGNMENT

A full-time position of lecturer (tenure track) is available in the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering (department of biotechnology) in the field of plant biotechnology. This vacancy concerns a position as member of the tenured academic staff with a focus on research. Candidates should demonstrate scientific excellence based on criteria of scientific quality, as reflected, among other things, in publications in journals and books with international visibility and in the proposed scientific research in the research plan.

Taking up this position, which is funded by the Special Research Fund, leads to an appointment in a tenure track system for a duration of 5 years and implies the privilege of devoting oneself almost exclusively to research activities during this period, with a teaching load limited to no more than 8 ECTS credits per semester on average over a period of 3 years.

For the further development of the academic career, please see ‘Appointment information’ below.

Academic education

You lecture various courses in the field of plant biotechnology, gene technology and cell biology. Depending on the course, the language of instruction is Dutch or English.

You also contribute to the education at our Campus in South Korea (GUGC), for which you will spend several weeks abroad.

Academic research

You develop innovative, applied and multidisciplinary research in the domain of plant biotechnology. We expect you to develop the research area according to the latest innovations and acquire funding for the establishment of a new research group. The research is carried out in collaboration with researchers within the department and UGent, but also in a national and international context. We expect that the research expertise and vision of the successful candidate is complementary to the expertise present in the department.

Academic services

You take part in the internal and external service provision of the Department of Biotechnology

PROFILE
 

Experience

• You have already conducted excellent academic research in the given discipline, which is clearly reflected in outstanding publications in national and international peer-reviewed books and/or journals;
• You have demonstrable interest in the techniques and applications of plant biotechnology, and in the regulatory and societal discussions concerning GMOs;
• You are didactically skilled to teach university students to develop academic competences;
• Recommended are:
  • Experience in supervising research and/or coaching Ph.D. students;
  • International mobility, including research stays at institutions external to the one where you acquired your highest academic degree;
  • Positively evaluated experience in provided or organised academic lecturing;
  • Professionalisation of education.
• You must master the language of instruction in which you will teach a course at CEFR-  level C1.You can demonstrate this by means of a language certificate or a diploma obtained from an institution in which that language is the language of instruction. In addition, Article II.270, §1 of the Codex of Higher Education requires that: (i) you must master the Dutch language at least at CEFR-level A2 within two years after the start of the appointment. (ii) you must be able to master the Dutch language at least at CEFR-level of B2 within five years after the start of the appointment. More info: Language requirements at Ghent University for professorial staff — Ghent University (ugent.be)

Skills / Attitude

• You are quality-oriented;
• You take initiative;
• You inspire collaborators;
• You are a motivational leader with future-oriented vision;
• You write and speak English fluently. If you are not Dutch-speaking, you are willing to learn this language in the short term.

Admission requirements

• You hold a thesis-based doctorate or a diploma or certificate that is recognised as equivalent (article V.20 Codex Higher Education).

Upon evaluation of a foreign (non-EU) diploma, a certificate of equivalence may still have to be requested at NARIC. If this is the case, we advise you to initiate this recognition procedure as soon as possible. You are required to have the recognition no later than on the date of your appointment.

• You have at least two years of postdoctoral experience on 1 september 2024. This term of two years is determined by the date written on the above-mentioned required diploma.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

• We offer you a temporary appointment as an assistant professor in a tenure track system for a term of five years with a focus on research. If positively evaluated by the University Board, the term of office will be transferred into a permanent appointment as an associate professor. At that moment the time devoted to research, education and academic services may be altered.

The recruitment is from 1 september 2024.

OUR OFFER

The career and evaluation policy for Professorial Staff is based on talent development and growth, prioritizing vision development and strategy - at the personal as well as the group level. At UGent we focus on career support and coaching of the Professorial Staff in the different phases of the career. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/work/mobility-career/career-aspects/professorial-staff

Ghent University is committed to properly welcoming new professorial staff members and offering them appropriate guidance. The basic teacher training and courses of 'Dutch' and 'English' for foreign-speaking lecturers are only a few examples of our wide range of training and education opportunities. Furthermore, each Ghent University staff member can count on a number of benefits such as a bike allowance, reimbursement of public transport commuting costs, daycare, a wide range of sports facilities and EcoCheques. A complete overview of all our employee benefits (in Dutch).

Ghent University also invests in welcoming international professorial staff. It offers various housing options, a relocation bonus, the International School for school-aged children (with a discount on the tuition fee), support when registering at the City of Ghent, support with the procedure of family reunification and other administrative matters in connection with moving to Ghent. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/work/talent.

Candidates who are newly appointed at Ghent University with an appointment as autonomous academic staff of at least 50% or candidates whose appointment as autonomous academic staff at Ghent University is increased to a minimum of 50% receive a Starting Grant of €230.000 to contribute towards the personnel, operating and/or equipment costs of establishing a research team.

GENDER AND DIVERSITY

Ghent University conducts an equal opportunities policy and encourages everyone to apply. Ghent University also strives for a gender balance in which a maximum of 60% of the academic staff with a PhD degree is of the same gender. Female applications are thus especially welcomed.  As long as this goal is not achieved at the level of the group of scientific disciplines involved, the university board will in principle, for positions within this group, give priority to candidates of the underrepresented gender but only in case of equal qualifications of the applicants. This priority is neither automatic nor unconditional; the personal situation of each candidate needs to be taken into consideration in the evaluation at all times.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

After the final application date, all received applications will be sent to the faculty selection committee assembled for this vacancy. After a pre-selection on the basis of the submitted and assessed as admissible application files, the selection committee may hear the candidates about their vision and planning regarding education, research and services. It is also possible to organize a trial lesson or a presentation on a subject in the relevant field. Afterwards, the committee will rank the suitable candidates and present this ranking to the Faculty Board. The advice of the Faculty Board will then be presented to the Research Council for advice and subsequently be sent to the University Board for approval.

Candidates are asked to further discuss their 5 most impactful academic achievements. Next to academic publications, the candidate is thus also able to show merit of knowledge transfer by academic dissemination, social valorisation, public awareness, seminars or conference presentations. These competences are also taken into account when evaluating the candidates.

The evaluation of the required international mobility is broad and partly takes the gender perspective into account, thus not only considering longer stays abroad but also other forms of internationalisation.

Pregnancy leave, prolonged sick leave, parental leave, filial leave or other forms of absence are taken into account when evaluating the available time for the realisation of academic output.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late or incomplete applications, or applications that are not sent through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

 Let op: de in het vacaturebericht vermelde (vorm)voorschriften zijn bepalend voor de ontvankelijkheid van de kandidaturen

• In the field ‘Application form’: the BOF Tenure Track professorial staff application form + all annexes mentioned in the form (a.o. 5-year research plan and long term research vision), merged into one file of maximum 10 MB.
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of your doctoral degree. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field ‘Certificate of equivalence’: only for diplomas awarded outside the European Union: certificate of equivalence (NARIC) (if already in you possession). For diplomas awarded in the UK before January 31st of 2020, a certificate of equivalence is not required.

MORE INFORMATION

For further information regarding this vacancy, please contact Professor Tom Desmet (tom.desmet@UGent.be, +32 (0)9 2649920) at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Biotechnology.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read the FAQ or contact our helpdesk (dpo@ugent.be - tel. 09/264 98 98).