Research professor in Stochastics: Financial Math., Risk Modeling or Stoch. processes (BOFZAP)

The Group of Science, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics of KU Leuven, invites scholars to apply for a full‐time research professorship in the Department of Mathematics. 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 competence in the fields of Financial Mathematics, Risk Modeling or Stochastic processes, with expertise in probability theory, finance, risk management, statistics, data science, machine learning or data analysis. Educational experience in any of these fields is an asset. A research focus on financial mathematics is especially welcomed, while candidates in stochastics without a track record in financial mathematics should indicate a vision to integrate the financial mathematics in the context of their future research, teaching and service.

The appointment is expected to start on September 1, 2025. Applications will be evaluated in parallel and independently by 1) the KU Leuven Research Council in a competitive process across academic domains and 2) the faculty advisory committee. During the first 10 years, the teaching obligations as a research professor will be limited. Afterwards, the position will be transformed into a regular professorship.

This research professor will augment the existing research in our Department of Mathematics. The host entity is the Statistics and Risk section, which is linked to the KU Leuven LRisk and LStat interdisciplinary research units. Your expertise should allow to strengthen this cross-disciplinary expertise, and match the mathematical orientation of our Department.
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Duties

Research

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.

The candidate also contributes to the pedagogic project of the faculty/university and 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.

The assignment of the candidate to be appointed includes teaching in financial mathematics, stochastics, statistics or mathematics,  in the study programmes where the Department of Mathematics is involved (e.g. Bachelor and Master in Mathematics and the Master in Actuarial and Financial Engineering) or in service education provided to other programmes.

Service

Scientific, societal and internal services (administrative or institutional) are also part of the assignment. We expect that you develop connections with the financial and actuarial industry and (supra-)national institutions, or that you contribute to internal services like courses offered for externals and tailor-made corporate training programs.

Requirements

• You have a Ph.D. in Mathematics, Statistics or an equivalent degree.
• You have a strong research profile in one or more areas of Financial Mathematics, Risk Modeling or Stochastic processes and an indisputable research integrity.
• The quality of your research is proven by publications in major international journals and conferences, by the originality of your work and by your international visibility.
• 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 (or 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 researches 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, …
• 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 procedure Research Professorships (BOFZAP)
Departement of Mathematics - Section Statistics

Interested?

More information on the content of the job can be obtained from the academic contact person Prof. dr. Rony Keppens (rony.keppens@kuleuven.be, tel.: +32 16 32 70 01)

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