Part-time (10%) Professor in Electrical Engineering: 3-Dimensional integration of transistor and storage devices

In the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of KU Leuven, Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), research unit ECS on campus Arenberg (Heverlee), there is a part-time (10%) academic vacancy in close collaboration with imec. We are looking for internationally oriented candidates with an excellent interdisciplinary research record and with educational competence within the area of 3-dimensional (3D) integration of transistor and storage devices for electronic applications. The research should enable application-technology co-design of integrated circuits for future applications. The successful candidate will be appointed for a fixed term of 5 years (possibly renewable).
The research group ECS is a research unit in the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) and is a world leader in the field of integrated circuit design (analog, mixed-signal, digital, RF and microwave) across a wide range of different IC technologies and applications. Over the past decades, the research team of ECS has achieved many breakthrough chip innovations. With this vacancy ECS wants to keep and strengthen the close link to semiconductor device research at imec.

Website unit

Duties

Research

• You strengthen existing research lines and provide additional research expertise in the field of 3-dimensional (3D) integration of transistor and storage devices for future electronics applications. When transistors cannot get any smaller in 2 dimensions in a planar way, the only direction for further scaling is three dimensional.  The deceleration of Moore’s law is anticipated through the development of 3D-stacked complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or CFET (complementary field-effect transistor) transistors.  Also, the continued increase of the demand for more storage capability at lower energy consumption in memory systems requires more and more the 3-dimensional integration of storage devices. The interdisciplinary research and developments not only consider 3-dimensional process architectures, but also put very high requirements on materials selection, deposition and etch technology as well as on variability and energy control and reliability physics, and on the link to future electronic IC design.
• You set up collaborations within and outside the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), including reinforcing the research collaboration with imec. You work closely together with other members of the ECS research group and of the ESAT Department. The position also requires a strong interdisciplinary mindset and a willingness to connect with other departments, such as materials science, physics and chemistry.
• You also develop and set up international collaborations. 
• You actively thrive for obtaining research projects and PhD funding. You are capable of acquiring competitive funding and resources for fundamental and applied research. 
• You strive for excellence in your research and thus provide a contribution to the continued development of the Department. 
• You publish at the highest scientific level, and supervise PhDs at international level.

Teaching

• You ensure high-quality education within the area of (advanced) semiconductor devices and technology in one or more of the university’s bachelor/master education programs, with a clear commitment to the quality of the program as a whole. You also contribute to the pedagogic project of the faculty/university through the supervision of master theses and as a promotor of PhD students.
• More specifically, you are expected to take up a course load to teach of up to 6 ECTS credits in the bachelor/master of Elektrotechniek/Electrical Engineering and/or the master of Nanoscience, Nanoengineering and Nanotechnology. The specific course(s) will be determined in consultation and based on your specific profile.
• You develop your teachings in accordance with KU Leuven’s vision on activating and research-based education and make use of the possibilities for educational professionalization offered by the faculty and the university.

Service

• You are prepared to provide scientific and university-internal services, and dissemination activities towards the general public.
• You stay up-to-date with the practices of 3-D semiconductor devices and technology.

Profile

• As this professorship is aimed at reinforcing the interaction in research between imec and KU Leuven, only researchers at imec with a substantial appointment (at least for the duration of this professorship) qualify for the position.
• You have a PhD degree in engineering science, electrical/electronic engineering, nano technology or a related subject.
• You have a strong research profile in the fields of (semiconductor) physics, modeling, design and fabrication of 3-D transistors and storage devices aimed for the design of future electronics applications. The quality of your research is proven by publications in prominent/international journals, invited presentations and through international research collaborations. 
• You show an interdisciplinary approach to research, building bridges between various fields and aiming at innovative concepts.
• You have built strong collaborations with academic as well as industrial partners. Ongoing collaborations with the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) is a plus.
• You have demonstrable qualities related to academic education. Teaching experience is an advantage.
• You possess organisational skills and have a cooperative attitude. You also possess leadership capacities within a university context.
• A good command of English is required. We expect you to acquire a C1 level in English, which is required to teach courses in English.
• The official administrative language used at KU Leuven is Dutch, and you are also expected to teach courses in Dutch, requiring the mastering of Dutch at C1 level.

Offer

• We are offering a part-time (10%) employment, for a fixed term of 5 years (possibly renewable for additional period(s) of 5 years, after positive evaluation) in an intellectually challenging environment.
• KU Leuven and imec are research-intensive, internationally oriented organisations that carry out fundamental and applied scientific research. The two institutions have a strong inter- and multidisciplinary focus and strive for international excellence. In this regard, we actively work together with research partners in Belgium and abroad, and provide our students with an academic education that is based on high-quality scientific research.
• You will work on campus Arenberg in Heverlee near 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.
• Depending on your record and qualifications, you will be appointed for 10% in one of the grades of the senior academic staff: assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor, for a period of 5 years, possibly renewable for additional period(s) of 5 years after positive evaluation.

More information

HTTPS://www.imec-int.com/en

Interested?

For more information on the contents of the job, please contact:

Prof. dr. ir. Georges Gielen, Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), georges.gielen@kuleuven.be 

Prof. dr. ir. Wim Dehaene, head of the ESAT-ECS research group, wim.dehaene@kuleuven.be

Prof. dr. Stefan De Gendt, academic coordinator at imec, stefan.degendt@imec.be 

You can only submit your application through our online application system. If you have problems submitting your application online, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

Add to your application the following documents (more information is available on the KU Leuven job site):

- your biosketch in which you indicate your added value as an academic for research, education and service to society of your past career and of your future activities (maximum 2 pages);

- a file on your five most important publications or realizations;

- an extensive cv including a full publication list and if applicable a portfolio of your architectural projects;

- your research plan with focus on the development of your research line and research team in relation with the colleague-researchers of the entity of employment (maximum 5 pages);

- your vision on academic education and its organization (maximum 2 pages);

- your contribution to society by outreach and public communication on science and technology, internal representation in boards and councils and service activities directly in relation to your developed expertise (maximum 1 page);

- your vision on leadership (maximum 1 page).

KU Leuven is committed to creating a diverse environment and is therefore an equal opportunity employer. It explicitly encourages candidates from groups that are currently underrepresented at the university to submit their applications.

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

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.