1 - Working at the VUB
For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.
At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.
Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again.
Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.
2 - Position description
The Faculty of Engineering, Department Toegepaste mechanica, is looking for a predoctoral researcher.
More concretely your work package contains:
OWI-lab is the research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels that aims to improve the future of offshore wind energy through engineering research. As a group we are experts in collecting and processing large amounts of engineering and measurement data. As a scientific collaborator at OWI-lab, you will join our numerical modeling team to support numerical analyses of offshore wind turbines through the use of digital twins.
The key tasks for this role are listed below:
- Assist researchers in designing and executing time-domain simulations and associated post-processing.
- Conduct lifetime assessments of the support structure based on fatigue life studies using our numerical models.
- Help integrate real-world monitoring data into modeling workflows.
- Contribute to the development of our in-house simulation frameworks, which integrate custom Python-based design tools with aeroelastic software designed for offshore wind applications.
As part of a research group you can bring your own ideas forward and you will be involved in industry oriented research based on real world data. Therefore you are eager to collaborate with innovative companies on state of the art technology.
You’ll join a young international team with the ambition to use data to provide better insight in offshore wind. Remote office is permitted during regular office hours and is supported by our group. Your responsibilities to support researchers requires some physical presence on site.
For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.
3 - Profile
What do we expect from you?
- Master's degree or PhD in a relevant field (civil, industrial or mechanical engineering)
- Interest in the mechanical behavior of structural components, monitoring techniques, and offshore wind energy
- Master's degree in a relevant field (civil, industrial or mechanical engineering)
- Technical background: resistance of materials, structural dynamics and finite element modeling
- Programming: you are comfortable with Python, the main language of our code base.
- Version Control: Git
- You are fluent in English
The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.
4 - Offer
Are you going to be our new colleague?
You’ll be offered a contract, for an assignment of 1 FTE, for 12 months (extendable, on condition of the positive evaluation of the research activities), with planned starting date 01/10/2025.
You’ll receive a salary linked to one of the scales set by the government.
At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.
As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:
- Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
- An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
- Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
- Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
- A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
- Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques;
- Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
- The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
- And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.
5 - Interested?
Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?
Then apply, at the latest on 31/07/2025, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:
- your CV;
- your motivation letter;
- your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).
Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Christof Devriendt at [email protected] or on +32- 2-6292390.
Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.
Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.
