Full-time Academic Position in Green Analytical Chemistry - Faculty of Pharmacy

Reference : 2023/A043 

Application deadline: 31/05/2023

Start date: 01/11/2023                                                     

Job description         

The teacher will be employed full time at ULB within the RD3-Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery unit (RD3-PBM). He will carry out his teaching and research there. As a consequence, he will be a full member of the Chemistry and Biology teaching domain of the Interdisciplinary Teaching Department in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Area of Research : 

No innovative research can currently be envisaged within a Faculty of Pharmacy without a modern analytical arsenal adapted to the quality requirements that research and development of new drugs deserve. The development of modern analytical techniques must nowadays also be based on green, sustainable, low-cost and tailor-made methods. This is increasingly leading to analyses at the micro- or nanoscale. Current analytical methods mainly use chromatographic separation methods (LC, UPLC) or capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with mass spectrometry or coupled with spectroscopy in the UV/vis, infrared, fluorescence or electrochemistry range. However, these techniques consume solvents, which has a non-negligible impact on the environment. Also, the miniaturization of separation and capture techniques is in full expansion because of their low environmental impact, as they increase the sensitivity of analytical methods.

The research theme will focus on Micro-Nano-Analytical separations which should integrate an evaluation of their environmental impact for example with the "Green Analytical Procedure Index" (GAPI). It aims to exploit the remarkable properties of nanomaterials for separative methods (including the capture technique), methods that can be coupled with existing detection methods within the Faculty (NanoESI-MSMS, electrochemistry, fluorescence, etc.). Their development will have to take into account their impact on the environment. 

Given that the Faculty's will is to evaluate its environmental impact in the field of research, the person hired will have to get involved in the quality group of the RD3-PBM unit to deal with environmental aspects and to train him/herself and/ or the Faculty's researchers to reduce their environmental impact in terms of research.

Educational and scientific goals :

The academic hired will be expected to teach courses in the field of chemistry, biochemistry and/or analytical chemistry within the Chemistry and Biology teaching domain of the Department of Interdisciplinary Education in Pharmaceutical Sciences and to coordinate the related laboratories. He/she will also be involved in the EcoStudent Lab. 

In a context where basic research in life sciences has a significant environmental impact, he/she will also be responsible for raising awareness among students and researchers of the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and life sciences in general. Also, his research will include tools to evaluate this impact and or the development of new tools but also to accompany the Faculty in a transition towards a greener research and teaching.

Courses covered at the time of recruitment :

CHIMJ101

CHIMJ103

Courses or parts of courses that may be part of the teacher's load in the framework of the academic coordination provided by the Dean:

Biochemistry (Mnemonic to be defined)

TRANJ103

TRANJ201

TRANJ211

PHARJ901

In MSPHAI: Module E

In MSBIOP :

Course where an academic intervention could be requested to raise awareness of environmental impact:

PHARJ210

PHARJ302

PHARJ304

TRANJ311

This workload is likely to evolve according to the needs of the academic coordination.

Qualifications required :

PhD Degree (with doctoral thesis) in Pharmacological Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, Agronomics, Biomedical Engineering. 

Skills required 

• Applicants should have at least 4 years of research experience at the time of their recruitment.
• Post-doctoral experience and an excellent scientific record are a plus.
• Exchange periods outside of the applicants’ home institution (during or after their PhD) will be taken into consideration when evaluating applications.
• Applicants who do not speak French (level C1) may be granted a period of adaptation, but they must be able to teach in French at the end of the third year following their appointment.

Interested ?

For more information, please contact Mr Pierre Van Antwerpen (telephone: +32 2 650.52.63 – E-mail: pierre.van.antwerpen@ulb.be ).

Applications must be sent by e-mail to the rectorate of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (rectrice@ulb.be) and to the faculty deanship (doyen.ne.pharma@ulb.be and daf.pharma@ulb.be).

They must include the following :

• an application letter
• a Curriculum vitae including a list of publications :

1. if you want you can complete a standard form via our website at https://www.ulb.be/fr/documents-officiels/completer-votre-cv-en-ligne.  Once completed, it must be downloaded and attached to the application file.

• a 7,000-character report (4 pages) presenting the applicant’s research activities and a research project, including how these will integrate into ULB’s research teams
• a teaching dossier including a 7,000-character report (4 pages) on the applicant's previous teaching activities and a teaching project for the first five years in this position; these must be relevant to the faculty and to the teaching profiles for the programmes to which the applicant is to contribute
• a note on the applicant's international achievements and projects (no more than 4 pages)
• the names and e-mail addresses of five referees (respecting the gender balance) who may be contacted by those in charge of evaluating applications.  These referees should not have conflicts of interest because of family or emotional ties.

1. The appointment to the academic staff of ULB is made at ”Chargé de Cours” level. As of their appointment, members of academic staff are authorised to use the honorary title of ”Professeur”.

Equal opportunities policy

ULB's personnel management policy is geared towards diversity and equal opportunities.

We recruit candidates on the basis of their skills, irrespective of age, gender, sexual orientation, origin, nationality, beliefs, disability, etc.

Would you like to be provided with reasonable accommodation in the selection procedure because of a disability, disorder, or illness?  Please contact Marie Botty, the person in charge of diversity aspects for the academic and scientific staff (marie.botty@ulb.be). Be assured of the confidentiality of this information.

More details on the ULB gender and diversity policy are available at Diversity at ULB - ULB.

You will find all the regulations relating to academic careers on our site at http://www.ulb.ac.be/emploi/academique.html.