Academic position in advanced NMR spectroscopy at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (Ref. ZAP-2015-50). At the Science, Engineering & Technology Group , Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S) and Department of Chemistry of KU Leuven there is a full time academic position in the field of NMR.
The Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S) and the Department of Chemistry of KU Leuven are internationally leading entities with spearhead activities in Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, in Molecular Visualisation and Photonics, and in Molecular Design and Synthesis of small molecules and polymeric materials. In 2015, these departments will move to new shared research facilities, in which NMR instrumentation will be pooled in a new Interdepartmental NMR Center.
Duties / Research
The candidate is expected to develop a strong internationally competitive research activity in the development of NMR techniques. An important aspect are innovative methods, beyond the current state-of-the-art in solid state NMR, both regarding instrumentation and data acquisition, particularly related to sensitivity enhancement, accelerated acquisition, implementation and further improvement of multidimensional NMR spectroscopy (both related to classical and metal nuclei) and/or spatially resolved NMR. Multidimensional NMR spectroscopy as well as quantitative methodology for 1D spectra of a large variety of nuclei (29Si, 27Al, 31P, 19F,…) are focal points.
Moreover, the candidate is expected to assume a leading role in the strategy development for the new Interdepartmental NMR Center (comprising 5 solid and liquid state NMR instruments) in mutual agreement with the colleagues, thereby supporting both solid and liquid state NMR instruments. The candidate will take initiatives to ensure upgrading of the instruments and the continuity of the NMR services to the involved community, both for liquid as well as solid state NMR. Applications of (solid state) NMR at the M2S Department are the characterization of nanoporous materials, nanoparticles, adsorbents and heterogeneous catalysts (zeolites, hybrid frameworks etc) and understanding their formation mechanisms, dynamics and adsorptive or catalytic functions. Applications of liquid NMR at the Chemistry Department include elucidation/validation of the structure and dynamics of synthetic compounds and natural products, probing host-guest interactions (e.g. anion recognition), self-assembly of (bio)polymers or other building blocks, small molecule-protein interactions in medicinal chemistry, and structural and conformational identification in bio-(in)organic and bio-inorganic chemistry. In this respect, the candidate is expected to facilitate the implementation of state-of-the-art methods, such as DOSY, either for solid or liquid NMR, for quantitative study of diffusion phenomena, e.g. of polymers, (core-shell) nanoparticles etc.
Teaching
Accepted applicants will take on teaching responsibilities in the ongoing Master programs in Catalytic Technology and Chemistry (Master bio-ingenieurswetenschappen: Katalytische Technologie; Master of Science: Master of Chemistry) and/or in other faculties, with a focus on the use of magnetic resonance methodologies or physical characterization techniques at large. They are expected to meet the reigning KU Leuven standards regarding academic program level and orientation and to adhere to the KU Leuven’s concept of education. A commitment to quality of education as a whole is naturally understood.
Service
The candidate is expected to participate and assume a leading role in local, national and international NMR networks and to contribute to the visibility of the KU Leuven NMR Center. We also expect an enthousiastic effort in the various committees and working parties at the Departmental and Faculty level.
Requirements
Interested candidates should hold a Ph.D. or doctoral degree in Bio-Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sciences, or any other field that prepares equally well for the research program.
Qualified candidates are expected to have an excellent research record and very good teaching and training skills, in order to contribute to the research output of the departments and to the quality of the educational programs. The high quality of the candidate’s research should be evidenced by publications in international peer-reviewed journals. International research experience is highly appreciated.
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 meetings. Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch resp. English tot the required standard.
Offer
We are offering a 100% employment in the intellectually challenging environment of the University of Leuven. Depending on your record and qualifications, 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 (or tenured) as an associate professor.
Application deadline: 01 Dec 2015
For more information: http://www.biw.kuleuven.be/m2s/cok/
http://chem.kuleuven.be/en