ZAP Coordinator PRECLINICAL SKILLS EDUCATION DENTISTRY

Being a top performer in scientific research, university education and patient care is the main mission of KU Leuven and UZ Leuven. In Belgium and Europe, we play a leading role which we want to maintain and further expand. More than 12,000 passionate employees in KU Leuven and more than 10,000 employees in UZ Leuven combine their expertise every day. Since 2016, KU Leuven leads the Reuters’ list of most innovative universities in Europe. UZ Leuven was ranked 45th on the list of the 250 best hospitals in the world by the American magazine Newsweek. KU Leuven Dentistry holds the 17th position in the QS World University Rankings and is currently ranked 22nd in the worldwide Shanghai Academic Ranking, being the 6th European dental school.

KU LEUVEN stands for high-quality, activating and future-oriented education. The DENTIST TRAINING at KU LEUVEN is one of the two dental schools in Flanders. It includes basic training in dentistry towards a bachelor’s and master’s degree in dentistry, as well as additional specialized training towards an advanced master (or master-after-master) degree in specialized oral care. The dentist training is organized within the FACULTY of MEDICINE and is embedded in the BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES GROUP of KU Leuven, this in close relationship with the university hospital UZ LEUVEN. In the current academic year, the program enrolls 376 students in the bachelor's program, 221 students in the master's program and 53 students in the ma-a-ma program. Dental education is based on innovative research conducted within the DEPARTMENT OF ORAL HEALTH SCIENCES. The program attaches great importance to a culture of quality and is given by a team of renowned teachers.
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Duties

Research

· In addition to your primary teaching assignment, you will conduct SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH in one of the research groups of the Department of Oral Health Sciences, for which you will acquire competitive research funding, supervise PhD students and generate research output by publishing internationally.

Teaching

• You are responsible for the practical organization, daily implementation and coordination of preclinical skills education within the DENTISTRY EDUCATION PROGRAM at KU Leuven.

• You teach preclinical skills to dental students in the ultramodern PRECLINICAL SKILLS CENTRE DENTISTRY, supported by a team of supervisors and logistics staff.

• You enthusiastically take on teaching tasks within the DENTISTRY EDUCATION PROGRAM at KU Leuven with a clear commitment for quality of the program. You also contribute to the pedagogical project of the university and the dentistry program by supervising MASTER THESES.

• You develop your teaching activity in accordance with KU Leuven's vision on ACTIVATING and RESEARCH-BASED EDUCATION and make use of the opportunities for educational professionalization offered by the Faculty of Medicine and the university.

Service

. You are willing to actively participate in one on more working groups and commissions within the Department of Oral Health Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Biomedical Sciences Group.

· After your intake period, you will take on representational functions in external organizations (councils, committees, …).

· If desired, you can (limited) clinically work as ‘permitted’ dentist in UZ Leuven.

Profile

· You have a MASTER’S DEGREE in DENTISTRY (or equivalent).

· You obtained a DOCTORAL DEGREE based on a dissertation in BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES (or equivalent).

· TEACHING EXPERIENCE is considered a plus.

· You have excellent ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS and can maintain the overview, even in stressful circumstances.

· You are a MANAGER and INSPIRATOR for your employees and colleagues, or you are willing to develop these skills.

· You are creative and have good COMPUTER SKILLS.

· You have excellent COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS in terms of interaction with other people, verbal and non-verbal communication and personal charisma.

· Proficiency in DUTCH 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 fully participate in administrative meetings (Dutch level B2). Prior to teaching in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to learn the required language up to the necessary standard (level C1).

Offer

·     We offer a FULLTIME EMPLOYMENT in an intellectually challenging environment that appreciates diversity, promotes an inclusive working environment and endorses the ALBA-statement of fairness and inclusion[1]. KU Leuven is a research intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out fundamental and applied scientific research. It has an inter- and multidisciplinary focus and strives for international excellence. The university actively collaborates with domestic and foreign research partners. It offers students an academic education based on high-quality scientific research. KU Leuven RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT[2] is a role model for knowledge and technology transfer for many European universities.

· Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed in one of the positions belonging to the ACADEMIC STAFF: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor. Young researchers are normally appointed for a period of 5 years as an assistant professor in a tenure track. After this period and a positive evaluation, they will permanently be appointed (or tenured) as an associate professor.

· KU Leuven is well set to welcome foreign professors and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration & administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, … .

· To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase, new professors who do not have substantial other funding and are appointed for at least 50%, can apply for a starting grant of 110.000 euro.

More information

Information on the program of the Bachelor in Dentistry, including also the preclinical skills education
Information on the program of the Master in Dentistry, including also the preclinical skills education

Interested?

For more information please contact prof. dr. Bart Van Meerbeek (Chair of the Department of Oral Health Sciences), tel.: +32-16-337587, mail: bart.vanmeerbeek@kuleuven.be, prof. dr. Els Wierinck (Coordinator of the Preclinical Skills Centre Dentistry), tel.: +32-16-374693, mail: els.wierinck@kuleuven.be, or prof. dr. Marcio Vivan Cardoso (Programdirector Dentistry), tel. +32-16-194322, mail: marcio.vivancardoso@kuleuven.be.

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.