Vacancy: Professor in Sustainable circular technology

Professor in Sustainable circular technology (BOF)

Assignment

In response to various environmental problems, nowadays adequate technologies are available aimed at both reducing harmful emissions and preventing pollution as much as possible through a source-oriented approach. Clean-up technology and clean technology are complementary in protecting the natural environment and safeguarding valuable raw materials for future generations. These technologies play a vital role in our society today. They are being further developed, and innovative approaches are being sought, both in industry and at research institutions and universities.

Circular technology is the next evolution in environmental technology, necessary to prevent the irreversible loss of valuable raw materials at all stages of the lifecycle as much as possible, while also drastically increasing the resource efficiency of our activities.

Valuable raw materials are not exclusively primary; due to the rapid increase in raw material use in our society, secondary raw materials are rapidly gaining importance. With the European Circular Economy Action Plan (2016 and 2020) and Circular Flanders (2020), policy places circular innovation high on the agenda. We currently face many "transition challenges" in the areas of sustainable energy and food supply, mobility, housing, and so on. Circular material flows are essential to achieving these transitions. Moreover, many innovative technologies utilize so-called critical materials, which put pressure on the resilience of new value chains in resource-poor regions.

Because circular technology is not necessarily equivalent to sustainable technology, we need a thorough sustainability assessment of the various circular strategies and the entire product life cycle. Measuring circularity is a scientific challenge; it is currently measured and evaluated in a wide variety of ways, leading to confusion and unfair comparisons. Classic sustainability assessment methods such as life cycle assessment (LCA) were conceived in the era of the linear economy and are therefore not necessarily adequate in a circular economy.

The position, funded by the Special Research Fund, is granted the privilege of focusing primarily on research for a period of 5 years. During that period the teaching load will be limited to no more than 8 ECTS credits per semester on average over a period of 3 years.

Full vacancy description and application form.