Psychosocial Healthcare in Primary Care

At the Department of Public Health and Primary Care of KU Leuven, a part-time or full-time position is vacant in the independent academic staff within the domain of primary healthcare, with a particular focus on psychosocial healthcare and preventive and lifestyle-oriented themes.

Within the Biomedical Sciences Group at KU Leuven, the Department of Public Health and Primary Care conducts research in societal aspects of healthcare. Its members include experts in disease prevention, health protection, health promotion, quality assurance, health care policy, bioethics, health law, health economics, health communication, biostatistics, epidemiology, geriatrics and gerontology, nursing and midwifery, emergency medicine and general practice medicine.

Members of the Department conduct interdisciplinary research with a major impact at a national and international level. They also provide high-quality education in various educational areas. In addition, they provide healthcare professionals and institutions with insights, concepts and techniques that enable them to respond optimally to the needs and expectations of the patient and society in the area of healthcare. Moreover, they seek to improve collaboration with clinical medicine and research, and they are closely involved in national and international partnerships.

The Department of Public Health and Primary Care offers a dynamic research context that stimulates interdisciplinary collaboration.

Research
You are an ambitious, internationally oriented researcher in the domain of primary care, with a particular focus on psychosocial healthcare and preventive and lifestyle-oriented themes.

You have experience in a relevant research domain within primary care (e.g., preventive programs such as stress and depression management, lifestyle and behavioral interventions in primary care, innovations in care processes related to psychosocial healthcare, detection and follow-up of alcohol, medication, and drug abuse, mental health of healthcare professionals).

You will develop a research program in preventive and psychosocial healthcare in primary care, publish in international journals, secure research funding, and establish national and international collaborations.

You strive for excellence in your research and contribute to the reputation of KU Leuven and the Department of Public Health and Primary Care.

Teaching
You will take on teaching responsibilities in public health in general and psychosocial healthcare in particular, as well as teaching tasks related to your specific expertise. This includes contributions to the bachelor and master in medical sciences, the postgraduate program in occupational medicine, and the interuniversity postgraduate program in general practice.

You will supervise master's theses, postgraduate theses, and doctoral dissertations.

Your teaching meets the academic standards in terms of level, orientation, and scholarly focus and aligns with KU Leuven’s educational philosophy. Commitment to the overall quality of the program is expected.

Service
You will engage in domain-specific scientific service activities.

Over time, you will take on policy responsibilities within KU Leuven and contribute to the national and international visibility of the department.

You will develop a network of contacts within the field that adds value to research and/or education.

Profile

• Candidates must hold a PhD.
• Candidates are expected to have significant and demonstrable research experience in one or more themes relevant to preventive and psychosocial healthcare. Research quality should be evident from publications in international journals and experience in writing project proposals. International research experience is an asset.
• You have strong didactic skills and preferably demonstrable teaching experience. You possess the necessary communication and organizational skills and are a team player.
• Your spoken and written English is excellent. The administrative language of KU Leuven is Dutch. A good command of Dutch is required due to the Dutch-language teaching responsibilities. If you do not speak Dutch at the time of appointment, KU Leuven offers language training to enable participation in administrative meetings. Before teaching in Dutch, you will be given the opportunity to acquire the necessary language proficiency.

Offer
We offer a full-time academic appointment in an intellectually stimulating environment. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied scientific research. It is strongly inter- and multidisciplinary and strives for international excellence. It actively collaborates with research partners in Belgium and abroad. It offers students academic education based on high-level scientific research.

• You will work in Leuven, a historic yet dynamic and vibrant city in the heart of Belgium, twenty minutes from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, and less than two hours from Paris, London, and Amsterdam.
• Depending on your profile and qualifications, you will be appointed or tenured in one of the ranks of the independent academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor, or full professor. Junior researchers are typically appointed as tenure-track assistant professors for a period of five years. Upon positive evaluation, they are tenured as associate professors.
• Holders of external postdoctoral fellowships may be asked to complete their mandate first.
• 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.
• 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?
KU Leuven places great importance on research integrity and ethical conduct and will therefore ask you to sign an integrity statement upon appointment.

For more information please contact Prof. Dr. Pascal Borry, mail: pascal.borry@kuleuven.be or Prof. Dr. Birgitte Schoenmakers, tel.: +32 16 37 72 90, mail: birgitte.schoenmakers@kuleuven.be. For problems with online applying, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

You can apply for this job no later than March 16, 2026 via the apply button.

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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