Professor in Mechanical Engineering in Belgium

Offer description

Data is taking in an increasingly important role in our society. Examples are the digital transformation, the breakthrough of artificial intelligence or the argument for evidence-based medicine. Quantitative data can help accelerate mechanical designs or can, through assistive technology, help accelerate or simplify the execution of various tasks. As the opportunity for using this data increases the amount of data rises as well and the need to find techniques to efficiently and intuitively deal with this data. In medical, mostly time-critical, applications the ease and efficiency of use is often tightly related to the safety of the patients or more broadly its users. Traditionally one tends to resort to visual means to represent data.

Think of applications in virtual or augmented reality. Visual interaction, however, is very slow due to the long reaction time. Moreover, in many cases there is already an excess of visual stimuli to digest. Haptic interaction, on the other hand, is fast, natural and a channel that is often underused. Haptic feedback or haptic guidance can be used to work more efficiently at a distance or in a virtual environment. It can also be used to distort the real world. Haptics in such a `mediated’ reality has hardly been researched yet, but has an excellent potential. Haptic schemes can be set up to produce better training programs or to simplify complex tasks through haptic guidance.

In this profile you will develop an international research program on haptic mediality. You will research and develop new ways of equipping real, augmented or virtual environments with haptic overlays, haptic guidance or haptic feedback in order to fully explore the possibilities of haptic mediality and realise new or improved medical/surgical applications.

Benefits

Full-time employment in an intellectually challenging environment and with a high degree of freedom. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied scientific research. Our university has a strong inter- and multidisciplinary orientation and strives for international excellence. To this end, it actively cooperates with its research partners at home and abroad. She offers her students an academic education based on high-level scientific research.

Depending on your file and qualifications, you will be appointed or appointed to one of the grades of the independent academic staff: lecturer, senior lecturer, professor or full professor. Junior researchers are in principle appointed as tenure track teachers for a period of 5 years; after that, and upon a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed (or tenured). At this point they will move on to the next level of 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 a starting grant of 100.000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding, appointed for at least 50%.

Eligibility criteria

You have a PhD in Engineering Technology, Engineering Science or a similar degree relevant to the vacancy
You have a strong research track record in the discipline, evidenced by your publications and/or by your research experience with industry. International and industrial experience are considered advantageous. You have a vision on research and the possible synergy and compatibility with ongoing research on campus and at the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
You have a vision on providing quality academic education in your field. Teaching experience is a plus.
You have organisational skills and a collegial attitude. You also have leadership skills in a university or industrial context.
A good knowledge of English is a prerequisite. KU Leuven offers courses in academic English.
The official 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 that should allow you to participate in board meetings and learn Dutch up to a level required for a permanent appointment.