Professor in Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Animals; BOF

Organisation/Company Ghent University Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Biological sciences » Other Chemistry » Biochemistry Technology » Biotechnology Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Final date to receive applications 24 Feb 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world-class, open, pluralistic and socially engaged university. Our credo is 'Dare to Think' : we are a haven for courageous thinkers.

Withone of themost progressive career models for academicsin the world, Ghent University evaluates its scholars not only by the length of their publication list but also by the impact they pursue, what they achieve and how they collaborate.

Are you a good ‘fit’ with our university? Discover here our vision oneducation andresearch .

ASSIGNMENT

The expectations regarding teaching, research, and institutional and societal engagement, as well as the positioning of this position within the expertise and strategic developments of the faculty and department, were outlined in a position profile document prior to the publication of this vacancy. This position profile document is publicly available via the following link:

The position, funded by the Special Research Fund, is granted the privilege of focusing primarily on research for a period of 5 years. During that period the teaching load will be limited to no more than 8 ECTS credits per semester on average over a period of 3 years. For the further development of the academic career, please see ‘Appointment information’ below.

Academic education

You lecture various course units in the discipline of animal development, functional biology, and evolution that are covered in the Bachelor's and Master's programs in Biology and Biochemistry/Biotechnology. Your teaching reflects your expertise in evolutionary developmental biology and contributes to an integrated understanding of how form and function arise and evolve in animals. You will also supervise Bachelor's and Master's theses and doctoral research in this field, encouraging students to think critically and research-oriented.

Academic research

You conduct innovative and internationally recognized research in the field of evolutionary developmental biology of animals. This research field focuses on understanding how organisms function and how their traits develop, evolve, and relate to their ecological environment. With this appointment, the Biology Department aims to further strengthen this strategic research domain by developing an innovative and competitive program that bridges the gap between developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and functional morphology.

The emphasis will be on unraveling the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying the origin, diversification, and adaptation of animal body plans, using both model and non-model organisms.

Institutional and societal engagement

Based on your expertise and experience, you will contribute to the university's operations and/or take on external assignments.

PROFILE

You have a strong academic CV with international visibility in the requested field;

Your achievements in the field of research and education contribute to the development of the scientific domain (e.g. publications, presentations, or other academic output);

You are capable to initiate and supervise educational and research projects and to acquire the necessary funding for this;

You are didactically skilled to teach university students to develop academic competences;

Mobility is recommended (e.g. education, research, economic, or societal).

You work in a collaborative way and integrate smoothly into the department/faculty. You look for opportunities inside and outside the university and actively use your network to do so.

You show leadership potential/have leadership experience. More information aboutleadership at Ghent University.

If you don't know Dutch, you are willing to learn it. This will be assessed…