Onderzoeksprofessor in Experimentele Kwantumfysica (BOFZAP) (ref. BZI-2023-1)

4 May 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KU Leuven

Research Field

Physics » Quantum mechanics

Researcher Profile

Established Researcher (R3)

Country

Belgium

Application Deadline

14 Sep 2023 - 21:12 (Africa/Abidjan)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Group of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the Faculty of Sciences of KU Leuven invite scholars to apply for a full time research professorship in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. This position is funded by the Special Research Fund (BOFZAP), established by the Flemish Government.We are looking for motivated and internationally oriented candidates with an excellent research record and with educational skills in the field of experimental quantum physics and technology. The appointment is expected to start on September 1, 2024. Applications will be evaluated in parallel and independently by 1) the KU Leuven Research Council in a global process across academic domains and 2) the faculty advisory committee. During the first 10 years, the teaching duties as a research professor will be limited. Afterwards, the position will be transformed into a regular professorship. Current experimental quantum research in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is mainly focused on the development and understanding of solid-state quantum systems, in particular superconducting circuits, quantum defects in diamond and related systems, and materials for topological qubits. To reinforce these research efforts, the Department has recently embarked on an ambitious initiative to significantly broaden and deepen its research portfolio in experimental quantum physics and technology with the aim to reach a leading international position in quantum science and technology, at the forefront of the 2nd Quantum Revolution.The successful candidate is expected to bring in new expertise in experimental quantum science and technology. In particular the Department welcomes a candidate who will work in synergy with the department s existing research activities in the area of quantum science and technology (both experimental and theoretical) and the department s existing expertise and infrastructure in order to develop research line(s) at the international forefront dedicated to exploiting quantum systems and phenomena for information processing, communication, sensing etc., or to test foundational aspects of quantum mechanics. The successful candidate will join a team within a rich ecosystem of various research lines, expertise and infrastructure related to quantum research, not only in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, but also in other departments (e.g. electrical engineering, materials science, computer science) of the KU Leuven s Science, Engineering and Technology Group as well as with the neighbouring research institute imec. Given the breadth of that ecosystem and the multitude of opportunities that it provides, the Department is inviting applications from interested researchers within a wide range of profiles. The successful candidate is expected to carry out research that is aligned with and complements the existing activities at the Department. In the following, a non-exhaustive list is given with examples of such future research lines that can build on and complement the Department s current activities: (i) research on hybrid qubits, for example, on interfacing a superconducting qubit as quantum processing unit and a spin qubit as quantum memory unit; (ii) research on topological qubits, for example, based on topological superconductivity emerging at the interface between a quantum anomalous Hall insulator and a superconductor; (iii) research on experimental methods (e.g. based on spin resonance, scanning probe microscopy, magnetotransport, photonics, etc.) to study quantum coherence, quantum entanglement, quantum gating, etc.; (iv) research on quantum metrology, for example, two-level systems, quantum noise, microwave spectroscopy etc.; (v) other experimental research topics dealing with the development and understanding of solid-state quantum systems for quantum information processing/communication, quantum sensing etc.The successful candidate will join the Quantum Solid State Physics (QSP) research unit, an experimentally oriented research laboratory with currently seven full time professors, two part-time professors and a total staff of about 50 people. QSP hosts a wide spectrum of experimental facilities dedicated to preparation, characterization and determination of the physical properties of low-dimensional solid-state physics systems. Apart from the in-house research, QSP also hosts ample expertise in conducting advanced experiments at international large-scale research infrastructures such as synchrotrons, free-electron lasers, (radioactive) ion beam facilities and neutron sources.The successful candidate is expected to link closely with the theoretical quantum physics research group and the semiconductor physics research group within the department, as well as to explore synergies with other research units in the department. The candidate is also expected to keenly seek collaboration with other KU Leuven departments which are active in the related fields (e.g. electrical engineering, materials science, computer science) and with imec (https://www.imec-int.com/en/about-us ).

Website unit

Duties
Research

It is part of the assignment of the appointed candidate to develop, within the domain of experimental quantum physics and technology an international, competitive research programme, to pursue excellent scientific results at an international level and to support and promote national and international research partnerships and collaborations. 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 and research units at KU Leuven.

The candidate:

• Is an excellent, internationally oriented researcher and develops a research programme at the forefront of the field of experimental quantum physics and technology, with a strong focus on the new challenges appearing in the Second Quantum Revolution.
• Strengthens existing research lines and brings complementary and/or additional new expertise by working closely with the members of the research unit.
• Publishes at the highest scientific level in various high impact or prominent international journals in the domain and/or broader international top journals.
• Develops an own research group.
• Supervises master students, PhD students and postdocs at a high international level.
• Aims to acquire research funding from national and/or international agencies (in particular, from the European Commission framework programmes) and submits effective research project proposals for this purpose.
• Establishes both within 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 QSP research unit, the Department of Physics and Astronomy and KU Leuven.
• Has a pronounced interest in fundamental research, but also pays attention to the valorization and applications of the research, e.g. the development of new quantum-based devices such as qubits and sensors.

Education

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.
The assignment of the candidate to be appointed also includes a teaching assignment.
The candidate also contributes to the pedagogic project of the faculty/university. He/she 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 a PhD degree in physics, applied physics, electrical or materials quantum engineering. 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 at least one top publication, academic references, international research collaborations, acquired funding, promising research projects, valorization activities etc.
• You have a strong research profile in the field and an indisputable research integrity.
• The quality of your research is proven by publications in international top journals and presentations at relevant international conferences.
• International research experience is considered as an important advantage.
• You have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is a plus.
• You possess communication and 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, or 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 regarding immigration and administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, ...
• In order to facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 110.000 euro is offered to new professors without substantial other funding and appointed for at least 50%.

More information

Full application and selection prodedure
Quantum @ KU Leuven

Interested?

More information on the content of the job can be obtained from the academic contact person Prof. dr. Kristiaan Temst, tel.: +32 16 32 76 20, mail: kristiaan.temst@kuleuven.be .

More information on the guidelines, regulations and application file is available from Ms. Kristin Vermeylen (kristin.vermeylen@kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 32 09 07), Ms. Martine Van Nierop (martine.vannierop@kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 32 76 98) or Ms. Christelle Maeyaert (christel.maeyaert@kuleuven.be , tel. +32 16 31 41 94).

This vacancy is imbedded in the general BOFZAP call. More detailed information is available on this website: [link will appear after publication by DOC]

You can apply for this job no later than September 14, 2023 via the online application tool

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be .

Requirements

Research Field

Physics » Quantum mechanics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KU Leuven

Country

Belgium

City

Leuven

Postal Code

3000

Street

Parijsstraat 72b

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60200176?hl=en&lang=en

Contact

City

Leuven

Website

http://www.kuleuvencareers.be
https://set.kuleuven.be/en/about-us/vacancies/quantum

Street

Parijsstraat 72b Leuven

E-Mail

rekrutering@kuleuven.be

STATUS: EXPIRED