Professor in Strength and Conditioning

At the Department of Movement Sciences within the Group of Biomedical Sciences at KU Leuven, an academic position is available within the domain of Strength and Conditioning.

The Department of Movement Sciences aims to generate and apply scientific knowledge related to human movement, with the overarching goal of enhancing health and well-being as well as participation and performance in (elite) sport across a wide range of populations and settings. By striving for excellence in research, education, and service to society, the department advances the field of sports science and contributes to health promotion.

Unit website

Research

• You develop an innovative and internationally competitive research line in the domain of Strength and Conditioning with applications to Sports and Performance and/or Physical Fitness & Health.
• You develop your research program in interaction with the professional field and actively engage in translational research, including active involvement in and collaboration with the KU Leuven Institute of Sports Science (LISS) (https://www.kuleuven.be/liss).
• You actively establish interdisciplinary links with other research domains in movement sciences, such as exercise and muscle physiology, human movement biomechanics, neuroscience of movement and performance, or health promotion, to strengthen and expand your research program.
• You supervise PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.
• You generate scientific output that meets the highest international standards.
• You are able to acquire competitive funding from local, national, and international sources.

Teaching

• You drive the development of a cutting‑edge Strength & Conditioning curriculum within the educational programs of the Faculty of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences that positions us at the forefront of the field.
• You teach or contribute to several courses at various educational levels that align with your specific expertise, including courses at Bachelor’s level (e.g., Functional Anatomy; Basic Scientific Principles of Strength and Conditioning, Injury prevention, Sport practical courses) and at Master’s level (e.g., Advanced Scientific Principles of Strength and Conditioning, Exercise Training & Prescription; Program Design as related to Strength and Conditioning).
• You contribute to the pedagogical mission of the faculty and university through the supervision of bachelor’s and master’s theses.
• You further develop your teaching in accordance with KU Leuven’s vision on activating and research-based education, and make use of the opportunities for educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.

Service

• You contribute to scientific, societal, and internal service duties.
• You provide relevant scientific and service‑oriented activities related to Strength and Conditioning.
• You take an active role in relevant national and international scientific communities and professional networks in the field of Strength & Conditioning.
• You contribute to enhancing the visibility of the department at both national and international levels.
• You help strengthen the valorization and societal relevance of the group’s research through knowledge transfer toward stakeholders in sports, physical activity, and broader society.
• Over time, you take on policy and educational responsibilities within the department, faculty or KU Leuven.

Profile

• You hold a PhD in a research domain and/or scientific discipline that is directly relevant to the field of Strength and Conditioning.
• You have an indisputable research integrity and your research quality is evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed international journals and success (or clear potential) in acquiring competitive research funding.
• We equally welcome both full-time academic profiles and candidates who seek to combine academia with professional practice (up to 50%).
• You have demonstrable skills in academic education. Teaching experience within the domain of the position is an asset.
• You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership capacities within a university context.
• 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, respectively English, to the required standard.

Offer

• We are offering a full-time or part-time (at least 50%) employment in an intellectually challenging environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that carries out both fundamental and applied scientific research, with a strong interdisciplinary focus and a commitment to international excellence. 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 five years; after this period and a positive evaluation, they are permanently appointed with a starting position as associate professor.
• You will work in Leuven, a historic, dynamic and lively city located in the heart of Belgium, within 20 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 & administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, etc.
• To facilitate scientific onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase a starting grant of 110.000 euro is offered to new professors appointed for at least 50%.

Interested?

For more information please contact the Chair of the Search Committee Prof. dr. Benedicte Vanwanseele, mail: benedicte.vanwanseele@kuleuven.be or the Chair of the Department Prof. dr. Jan Seghers, mail: jan.seghers@kuleuven.be. For problems with online applying, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

Please include with your application a motivation letter, a research statement describing your added value for the research program of the Department of Movement Sciences and the Biomedical Sciences Group, and a teaching statement outlining your vision of academic education and how it fits with the KU Leuven vision on teaching.

KU Leuven places great importance on research integrity and ethical conduct and will therefore ask you to sign a research integrity statement upon appointment.

You can apply for this job no later than December 01, 2026 via the online application tool

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

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