Research Professor in Landscape and Urbanism (BOFZAP)
(ref. BZI-2026-2)
Last modified: 02/04/26
KU Leuven has a vacancy for a full-time position as a research professor (BOFZAP) in the field of landscape architecture, urbanism and design. We are looking for internationally oriented candidates with an excellent research record and with teaching competence specialized in landscape architecture, urbanism and design.
The structure of KU Leuven combines research departments and faculties in a multi-campus model. The candidate will contribute to the research of the Department of Architecture within the research section Urban Design, Urbanism, Landscape and Planning (UULP), which unites researchers from both the Faculty of Engineering Science and the Faculty of Architecture. The Department offers an international research environment of excellence. Research at the Department on urban design, urbanism, landscape and planning can boast a long and rich tradition that has gained international fame. The candidate will contribute to the education of the Faculty of Engineering Science. The Faculty provides education at bachelor's, master's and advanced master's level.
The structure of KU Leuven combines research departments and faculties in a multi-campus model. The candidate will contribute to the research of the Department of Architecture within the research section Urban Design, Urbanism, Landscape and Planning (UULP), which unites researchers from both the Faculty of Engineering Science and the Faculty of Architecture. The Department offers an international research environment of excellence. Research at the Department on urban design, urbanism, landscape and planning can boast a long and rich tradition that has gained international fame. The candidate will contribute to the education of the Faculty of Engineering Science. The Faculty provides education at bachelor's, master's and advanced master's level.
Research
It is part of the assignment of the appointed candidate to develop, within the domain of landscape architecture, urbanism and design, an international, competitive research programme, to pursue excellent scientific results at an international level and to support and promote national and international research partnerships. The candidate must meet a strong research profile or have the potential to do so.
In addition, the candidate is expected to have a multidisciplinary attitude and a willingness to cooperate intensively with other researchers of the unit Urban Design, Urbanism, Landscape and Planning (UULP) at the Department of Architecture of KU Leuven, as well as other research units and departments.
The candidate:
• Is an excellent, internationally oriented researcher and develops a research programme at the forefront in the field of landscape architecture, urbanism and design. Today, advanced landscape architecture research is located at the crossroads of the landscape urbanism thesis (landscape as the framing structure for urbanism), eco-engineering, the transformation of human-nature relations, and the capacities of landscape architecture, urbanism and design to deal with the social-ecological crisis (global warming, de-colonization, social-environmental justice, biodiversity loss, strong heat and drought waves, high levels of soil and air contamination, recurrent flooding, etc.). The candidate will develop interdisciplinary theoretical, methodological and practical approaches for understanding, modeling, designing and implementing innovative nature- and landscape-based solutions for these contemporary challenges.
• Would need to have fundamental knowledge on aspects of landscape and urban design, ecology, building and water engineering, human-nature relations and ways to synthesize these through projective design of possible urban, rural and territorial futures.
• Will develop a top-level agenda of fundamental and applied research on research questions such as (1) the spatial, structural and functional characteristics of ecosystem elements; (2) the integrity of natural and human-produced ecosystems; (3) the integration of nature-based solutions in architecture and urbanism scenarios; (4) the creation of feedback loops between engineering and projective design scenarios of green, blue and built infrastructures, architecture, landscape and urbanism; (5) the role of landscape architecture, urbanism and design in addressing socio-ecological challenges and injustices; (6) the dynamics of strategic landscape projects and potential spatial policies that substantially contribute to a more sustainable society.
• Strengthens existing research lines and brings complementary and/or new expertise by working closely with the members of the research unit Urban Design, Urbanism, Landscape and Planning.
• Publishes at the highest scientific level in journals such as Journal of Landscape Architecture, Landscape Journal, Landscape and Urban Planning, Nature Sustainability, Nature Climate Change, Nature, Landscape Architecture Frontiers, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, Urban Studies, Urban Planning, ….. The researcher would also be involved in organizations such as IFLA (international Federation of Landscape Architects), ECLAS (European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools).
• Is capable of contributing to, developing and leading a research group of various researchers.
• Supervises master students, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers at a high international level.
• Aims to acquire competitive research funding from national and/or international agencies and submits effective research project proposals for this purpose.
• Establishes KU Leuven, national and international partnerships in the context of the research programme.
• Strives for excellence in research and provides a contribution to the international research reputation of the Department of Architecture and KU Leuven.
• Has a pronounced interest in fundamental research, pays attention to the valorization and applications of the research, and builds relationships with the international professional practice of landscape architecture.
Teaching
Although the position regards a research professorship at the start of employment, the candidate is expected to gradually contribute to state of the art teaching. Courses may mainly be part of the Bachelor and Master in Architectural Engineering, the Master of Human Settlements and the Master of Urbanism, Landscape and Planning, and may be open to the Master in Conservation of Monuments and Sites and the Master of Stedenbouw en Ruimtelijke Planning. Teaching may include courses on the history and theory of landscape architecture, urbanism and design, landscape design studios, and related courses.
The candidate contributes to the pedagogic project of the faculty/university. The candidate develops teaching in accordance with KU Leuven’s vision on activating and research‐based education and makes use of the possibilities for the educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.
Service
Scientific, societal and internal services (administrative and/or institutional) are also part of the assignment.
Requirements
• You have an accredited degree in landscape architecture, landscape planning or similar and a PhD in the domain. If you have recently obtained your PhD, it is important that you support your research and growth potential with academic references, e.g. demonstrate potential through top publications, academic references, promising research projects and articles in preparation.
• You have a strong research profile in the field and an indisputable research integrity.
• The quality of your research is proven by publications in top journals.
• International research experience is considered as an important advantage.
• You have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is a plus.
• You possess organizational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also have leadership skills within a university context.
• Your spoken and written English is excellent. 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 take part in administrative meetings. Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch resp. English to the required standard.
Offer
• We offer full-time employment in an intellectually challenging environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research. Our university is highly inter- and multidisciplinary focused and strives for international excellence. In this regard, we actively collaborate with research partners in Belgium and abroad. We provide our students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.
• Depending on your qualifications and academic experience, you will be appointed to or tenured in one of the grades of the senior academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor of full professor. In principle, junior researchers are appointed as assistant professor on the tenure track for a period of 5 years; after this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed as an associate professor.
• You will work in Leuven, a historic and dynamic and vibrant city located in the heart of Belgium, within twenty minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
• KU Leuven is well set to welcome foreign professors and their family and provides practical support with regard to immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, …
• 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).
Call Research professorships (BOFZAP)
Procedure application and selection
Interested?
Before you start your application, please read the full description of the procedure and important information about attachments and templates under 'Call for Research Professorships (BOFZAP)' and 'Procedure application and selection’ under 'More information'.
More information on the content of the job can be obtained from the academic contact person (prof. dr. ir. Pieter Van den Broeck, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and the department head (prof. dr. Rajesh Heynickx, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).
More information on the guidelines, regulations and application file is available from Ms. Kristin Vermeylen (
You can apply for this job no later than September 01, 2026 via the online application tool
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