35 years between two accelerators - Serge Mathot's journey, or the art of welding history to physics
One foot in the past, the other in the future. From Etruscan granulation to PIXE analysis, Serge Mathot has built a unique career, between scientific heritage and particle accelerators. Portrait of a passionate alumnus at the crossroads of disciplines.
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28 new research projects funded by the FNRS
The F.R.S.-FNRS has just published the results of its various 2025 calls for proposals. These include the "Credits & Projects" and "WelCHANGE" calls, as well as the "FRIA" (Fund for Research Training in Industry and Agriculture) and "FRESH" (Fund for Research in the Humanities) calls, which aim to support doctoral theses. What are the results for UNamur? Twenty-eight projects have been selected, demonstrating the quality and richness of research at UNamur.
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Colourful speleothems: treasures hidden deep within the earth
Well hidden from passersby, caves nevertheless conceal particularly aesthetic secrets. For the past four years, Martin Vlieghe has been pursuing a PhD in geology at UNamur. He is exploring the origin of the surprisingly varied colours of certain concretions nestled in the heart of Belgian and French caves. Together with Prof. Johan Yans and Gaëtan Rochez, he samples, observes, and analyses these magnificent objects with the aim of uncovering the mysteries they conceal.
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Blob in space: an unprecedented scientific mission
In the coming months, the University of Namur will participate in an exceptional space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), alongside Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liégeois. The BeBlob project, led by researchers Boris Hespeels (ILEE Institute) and Anne-Catherine Heuskin (NARILIS Institute), aims to study the DNA repair capabilities of a fascinating organism: the blob (Physarum polycephalum).
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Flamure Ibrahimi has been awarded the 2026 ServCollab Scholarship, an international recognition of excellence in doctoral research!
Flamure Ibrahimi is a Ph.D. student in service and marketing management at the NaDI-CeRCLe Research Center at the University of Namur (Belgium) within the EMCP Faculty, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wafa Hammedi (University of Namur) and Prof. Dr. Linda Alkire (Texas State University). She has just been awarded the prestigious ServCollab Scholarship 2026, an international distinction that recognizes and supports doctoral students whose work falls within the field of Transformative Service Research (TSR)—doctoral projects with high impact on society and humanity.
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Sports Hall and Student Housing: UNamur Receives Planning Permission
The University of Namur has reached a major milestone in the development of its sports hall and student housing project, located in the immediate vicinity of downtown. The building permit has just been granted by the Walloon Region’s designated official, who highlighted in particular “the project’s harmonious integration into the urban landscape.” Construction will begin at the end of August 2026 and will be carried out by the consortium comprising Thomas & Piron Bâtiment and DDS+.
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VENOM2: When Animal Venoms Open Up New Avenues in the Fight Against Cancer
Supported by the SPW Research’s Win4SpinOff program and led by the University of Liège through its Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (MSLab, Faculty of Science) and the University of Namur through its Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Biology, (NARILIS, LBMC, Faculty of Medicine), the VENOM2 project explores the potential of peptides derived from animal venoms to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic solutions in oncology.
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At the Heart of Nuclear Power
The discovery of nuclear energy marked a turning point in human history. Today, alongside debates about its role in energy production and its destructive potential, nuclear energy continues to be used in a wide range of fields, such as medical research and cancer therapies. At UNamur, nuclear energy is thus at the heart of the work of biologists, physicists, and art historians.
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From Namur to Leuven: A Successful Transition for Geology Students
Geology students at UNamur are encouraged to continue their studies at another university after completing their bachelor’s degree. This transition has been successful, as recently confirmed by two professors from KULeuven who visited the students.
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A poster session to explore AI across all disciplines
As part of the interdisciplinary course “AI: Challenges and Opportunities,” students at UNamur presented a series of posters focusing on the uses of artificial intelligence in their fields of study. This highlight showcased the diversity of AI applications, as well as the University of Namur’s commitment to training students to use it critically, fairly, and thoughtfully.
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Space Within Everyone’s Reach: A European Student Adventure at UNamur
In April 2026, UNamur hosted two events as part of the UNIVERSEH alliance, bringing together more than a hundred students from across Europe.
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Birth control pills: new scientific evidence supporting natural estrogens
A new study conducted by researchers at UNamur confirms a fact that is still largely unknown to the general public: not all combined oral contraceptives expose women to the same risk of venous thrombosis. This research was conducted by Lucie Raskin, a researcher at the University of Namur, under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Douxfils, a specialist in thrombosis and the effects of hormones on coagulation. This represents a significant advance in public health.
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