LUCA School of Arts is a creative hub for almost 5,000 people: more than 4,000 students and 800 colleagues. LUCA offers them an educational and research environment to further develop their creative talent. We do this through higher education courses in the broad domain of the arts, and through artistic research, embedded within an associated Faculty of Arts at KU Leuven. LUCA has campuses in four cities: Ghent, Brussels, Leuven and Genk. LUCA School of Arts is a member of the KU Leuven Association and the European University Alliance FilmEU.
The expertise network Artistic Practices at LUCA School of Arts offers a position for a candidate interested in doctoral research in the arts, embedded in the expertise team Photography
You will work within the Research Cluster Photography Expanded.
https://luca.kuleuven.be/english/research/research-unit-intermedia https://luca.kuleuven.be/english/research/research-unit intermedia/clusterphotographyexpanded)
The proposed start date of the research assistant position is February 01, 2027
Project
Under the supervision of Kai Ziegner, PhD you will undertake a 4-year PhD research project in which you will conduct artistic research relating to the aftermath of the severe social change in Eastern European countries after the fall of the Eastern bloc in the early 1990s and through lens-based research practices explore various repercussions which continue to shape the social development in these countries to this day.
Your assignment also includes a teaching assignment of 20%. You will teach in the BA and MA Photography program of LUCA School of Arts Brussels and will supervise students final projects and theses as well. The teaching assignment is embedded within the specialization of lens-based artistic research and experimental writing, but may also include administrative, support, and organizational tasks within the curriculum of LUCA School of Arts.
You will be part of an environment where respect and integrity define our basic attitude, where we see sustainability and diversity as an asset, and where quality is our driving force.
LUCA aims to enable all talents to fully develop, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or disability. We therefore welcome all talented individuals who recognize the added value of diversity and wish to contribute to shaping an inclusive organization.
The application consists of a dossier containing:
Applications can be submitted until October 26, 2026 via the job application portal CV Warehouse. Only complete dossiers will be taken into consideration.
An initial selection will be made based on the applications. You may be invited for an interview in the week of November 23, 2026. During the interview, the invited candidates will be asked to present their research project and vision on education and research to the selection committee.
More information can be obtained from:
Kai Ziegner, PhD / Senior Artistic Researcher, Lecturer and PhD Supervisor, kai.ziegner@luca-arts.be
For further clarification regarding the application procedure,
please contact: personeelsdienst@luca-arts.be
After the interview, all successful candidates will be ranked. The candidate who scores highest will receive a job offer first. Other successful candidates will be included in our recruitment reserve for one year (with the possibility of a one-year extension).
Additional information can be found here.
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Artistic Research (LUCA)
LUCA School of Arts invites applications for an individual Artistic Postdoctoral Research Fellowship aimed at one highly promising artistic researcher with a strong profile. This fellowship is explicitly designed to enable the Fellow to prepare and submit a competitive application for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF 2027). Where relevant, the fellowship also supports the preparation of a subsequent FWO (Research Foundation Flanders) Postdoctoral Fellowship application.
The 18-month fellowship offers a research, training and career development trajectory, aligned primarily with the MSCA evaluation criteria (Excellence, Impact and Implementation), and secondarily with those of the FWO. The fellow will carry out their own artistic research project and will be fully embedded in LUCA’s research community, including supervision, mentoring, participation in research seminars and events, teaching-related activities, and two-way knowledge exchange.
To guarantee this embedding in LUCA as host institution, applicants are expected to establish contact, prior to submission, with a senior researcher affiliated with LUCA School of Arts, who can act as host and supervisor during the fellowship. The list of senior researchers can be consulted here: https://luca.kuleuven.be/english/research/researchers/supervisors-of-a-phd-in-the-arts
The quality of the match between the applicant, the proposed research project and the envisaged supervisor will be considered in the evaluation, in line with MSCA host requirements.
Responsibilities
The duration of the fellowship is 18 months.
During this period, the fellow is expected to:
Profile
Applicants must:
Applications are welcome from researchers from around the world.
Application documents
Applications must be submitted by the researcher and include the following documents:
A short biosketch highlighting the candidate’s research excellence, originality and career development potential, in line with MSCA expectations.
The biosketch should include, where relevant:
A concise work plan outlining a coherent research, training and career development trajectory during the fellowship at LUCA School of Arts.
The work plan should:
A structured outline of the envisaged Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal, demonstrating the candidate’s understanding of MSCA evaluation criteria.
The outline should be organised along the following elements:
Applicants may briefly indicate how the MSCA proposal could subsequently be adapted for an FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship.
A concise academic and/or artistic CV, including publications, artistic outputs, grants, residencies, teaching experience and other relevant activities. LUCA commits to evaluating the CV with attention to non-linear career paths and appreciation of geographic, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility, as well as non-traditional forms of research output.
Candidates should include proof of their completed doctoral degree, including the date of the defense and a link to the publication of the manuscript in an online repository (when available).
Candidates must include a statement confirming that they do not exceed the mobility rule and that they can provide evidence upon request. If they were employed or domiciled in Belgium within the past 36 months, they must specify the duration and the percentage of employment.
Applicants should include a brief letter of support from a prospective supervisor affiliated with LUCA School of Arts who is willing to act as host during the fellowship.
Offer
We offer a temporary employment, fixed-term contractual position (100%, salary scale 509) for 18 months. More information about the salary scales can be found on the website of the Department of Education: (www.ond.vlaanderen.be). Estimated starting date is 1 April 2027.
LUCA School of Arts offers the fellow:
LUCA School of Arts aims to award one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. The institution reserves the right not to make an award if no application meets the required standard of excellence.
At LUCA you will be part of an environment where respect and integrity define our basic attitude, where we see sustainability and diversity as an asset and quality is our motivation.
LUCA aims to create an environment in which all talents can develop to their full potential, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or disability. That is why we welcome all talented people who recognize the added value of diversity and want to help shape an inclusive organisation.
Interested?
More information about the position can be obtained via reseach@luca-arts.be
You can apply until 25/10/2026 via CV Warehouse (click on the 'Apply' button at the bottom of the page). An interview will be scheduled online in the week of 16 November 2026.
Application deadline: 25/10/2026
Start of the fellowship: 1 April 2027
End of the fellowship: 31 October 2028
If the applicant successfully acquires an external fellowship, the LUCA fellowship will end at the start date of the external fellowship.
Attachment: Indicative Timeline for External Fellowships
MSCA-PF deadline: 8 September 2027
FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship deadline: Mid-November 2027
MSCA-PF results: approx. Mid-February 2028
FWO preselection results: approx. End of March 2028
contact: research@luca-arts.be
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