Description

We are pleased to announce an open position for a Professor of Statistics and Data Science at the Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven. The position is open to outstanding candidates at both the junior and senior level. During the first ten years of the appointment, the teaching load will be significantly reduced to support the development of an ambitious research agenda.  Applications are due by the end of August, and the selected candidate is expected to begin in the 2027–2028 academic year.

You can find the full vacancy announcement  here.

Contact: Christophe Croux, Coordinator  ORSTAT, KU Leuven

• The vacancy is open to both junior and senior researchers. You will be hired in the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or (Full) Professor, depending on your qualifications and academic experience. Junior researchers will be appointed as assistant professor in tenure track for a period of 5 years, which in case of a positive evaluation is followed by an appointment as a tenured associate professor.
• Your campus affiliation will be the campus of FEB in Leuven, Belgium, where you will join the research group of ORSTAT. 
• The Faculty of Economics and Business has systematically been ranked highly by several independent accreditation committees regarding the quality of its research and teaching programs. The FEB has acquired the renowned EQUIS accreditation and benefits from an extensive national and international network, both in academia and in the business world. For more information, please consult:  http://feb.kuleuven.be/eng/research.
• 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, and partner career coaching, among others. 
• To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 110 000 euro is offered to new professors (subject to eligibility criteria). 
• The KU Leuven pursues a policy of equal opportunity and diversity and explicitly encourages underrepresented groups at the university to apply. For more information, please consult: https://www.kuleuven.be/engage/english/diversity.

Requirements

Research
You are an ambitious, internationally oriented researcher in the domain of Statistics and Data Science. The research should contain a strong statistical component and align with recent developments in data science. It must be relevant for the field of business economics. An interest in operations research is a plus.  You publish in international top journals within the field, attract external research funding, develop international research projects, and advise doctoral students.  You strive for excellence in research and as such contribute to the reputation of the Faculty of Economics and Business and KU Leuven.  You have an outspoken interest in fundamental scientific research and perceive opportunities for valorization of research findings and applied research.

Teaching
You teach courses in statistics. The statistics courses will mainly be offered to students in Business Economics, and the teaching should be tailored to the needs of these students. During the first ten years of appointment, there is a (very) limited teaching load, which allows the candidate to focus on research and to build a strong research group. When assigning courses, we take as much as possible your profile and experience into account.
You contribute to the optimization and continuous development of the educational programs for which the department is responsible, and you supervise bachelor’s and/or master’s theses. 

Service
You show a willingness to integrate in the research group, to actively participate in and contribute to professional group activities, and to take up internal service duties. You put teaching and research activities at the service of society and aim to contribute to the broader social debate. Tenure track candidates start with limited service duties.

Requirements

• You have a PhD in Economics, Business, Science, Sociology or a PhD in a related domain, with evidence of expertise in the field of statistics and data science.
• You have excellent research output or research potential. The quality of your research is demonstrated by publications in top-tier peer-reviewed journals, promising research projects and work-in-progress papers, and/or international research experience. Experience in writing grant proposals and a strong international network are recommended. 
• You can show evidence of strong didactical skills and preferably have teaching experience in the field of statistics. You have the necessary communication and organizational skills and are a team player.