Post-doctoral assistant

Post-doctoral assistants already hold a doctoral degree.
Anyone who obtained their master’s or doctoral degree outside the EU must request diploma equivalence recognition from the competent Flemish authority.

The appointment may consist of up to two terms of a maximum of three years each. The second term does not have to follow immediately after the first.

Candidates who have already completed a first term of up to three years, at another university and/or in a different discipline, can still be appointed as postdoctoral assistant.

Doctoral assistants may be assigned other tasks in addition to their scientific activities

Teaching and administrative duties combined may not exceed 30% of the total appointment.

If the service tasks only concern administration and purely supporting activities, this must be included in the 30% of the assignment that is not dedicated to research. The department and the faculty shall ensure that other service activities (such as tasks in the clinics) are effectively at the service of the scientific research.

Post-doctoral research assistants

This category targets a specifically selected group and is governed by the Regulations pertaining to the posts of post-doctoral research assistants

Nature and duration of the mandate

These post-doctoral assistants receive a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Special Research Fund (BOF).
It is a temporary, full-time appointment with a maximum duration of three years and is not renewable. The fellowship holder will be appointed as dr. assistant with research assignment for the duration of the fellowship. The fellowship holder will receive a bench fee of €4.000/ year.

For whom?

Any researcher who submits an application to the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) for a Junior or Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship automatically becomes eligible in the same academic year for the BOF-funded post-doctoral assistant mandate, provided all of the following conditions are met:

  • The FWO application was submitted under the supervision of a professorial staff member (ZAP) of Ghent University.
  • Ghent University was indicated as the main host institution.
  • The application was declared admissible by the FWO.
  • The FWO fellowship was not awarded.
  • The candidate has not previously held a BOF postdoctoral fellowship
  • Candidates must still be able to submit an admissible application for a Junior or Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship at the FWO Flanders in a next application round. Candidates for a Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship who can no longer apply for a Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship in a next application round, but who can apply for a Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship, are eligible for a BOF Postdoctoral Fellowship.
  • Only candidates who are preselected by the FWO for the second application round (with interview) and assigned a Z-score by the FWO are eligible for the BOF selection.

Permitted additional assignments

Post-doctoral research assistants may take on limited non-research duties, choosing one of the following:

  • Maximum 4 hours per week supervising exercises, practicals or seminars.
  • Maximum 8 hours per week administrative or clinical tasks.
  • A paid teaching assignment at Ghent University of up to 9 ECTS per academic year.
  • An unpaid teaching assignment at a University College within the Ghent University Association of up to 9 ECTS per academic year.

Secondary activities and part-time appointment

Post-doctoral research assistants can carry out secondary activities that must be approved by the faculty. The total size of the assignments, including any additional political mandate or paid or professional activity, may amount to a maximum of 120%.

Post-doctoral research assistants are subject to the regulations on secondary employment by members of the academic staff with the exception of the following:

  • They may take up the mandate part-time if they are appointed as part-time professorial staff member (ZAP) at a higher education institution; the full-time BOF mandate is then proportionally reduced.
  • Combination with a full-time appointment as professorial staff member (ZAP) is not permitted.

No other part-time mandates are granted.

FWO obligations

BOF postdoctoral researchers are obliged to submit a new application for an FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship no later than 2 years after the FWO deadline on which they postulated in the context of the obtained BOF fellowship. It is the responsibility of BOF mandatees to determine which FWO deadline applies to them.

  • If no admissible application is submitted, the BOF fellowship is automatically terminated at the end of the current appointment year.
  • If an FWO fellowship is awarded, it must be taken up, and the BOF fellowship automatically ends on the earliest possible start date of the FWO fellowship.

Scientific report and DMP