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Brendan Reid has just joined the Environmental and Evolutionary Biology Research Unit (URBE) team in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science. This unit functions as a collaborative ecosystem, bringing together skills and expertise to advance research on organisms and their dynamic interactions with the environment. Dive into aquatic and semi-aquatic research!

At UNamur, research is not confined to laboratories. From physics to political science, robotics, biodiversity, law, AI, and health, researchers collaborate daily with numerous stakeholders in society. The goal? Transform ideas into concrete solutions to address current challenges. 

For its inaugural conference, the SPiN (Science & Philosophy in Namur) center will be joined by Claire Rommelaere, a lawyer and researcher at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Namur, and Aude Bandini, a philosopher of science at the University of Montreal, to take a critical look at the theme of "distrust of science." The urgency of addressing this issue is clear in our era, where, despite an overall stable level of trust in science, the parameters of public debate are frequently blurred by misinformation.Having had the opportunity to observe philosophers of science in their natural habitat for nearly fifteen years, Claire Rommelaere will share her thoughts on whether or not we should trust those who think about science.For her part, Aude Bandini will address a major problem that we all face at a time when the mass of available knowledge is such that it is impossible to acquire it on our own. Indeed, the socially distributed nature of knowledge generally leaves us no choice but to rely on the authority of experts, even on very important issues (such as health). However, when we rely on others in this way and follow recommendations that, due to our ignorance, we have no means of evaluating, we place ourselves in a relationship of "epistemic dependence" that conflicts with our aspirations for intellectual autonomy and forces us to ask ourselves a question whose answer may prove unbearable: is intellectual autonomy nothing more than a myth?Conference hosted by journalist Maïté Warland.Program:5:30-6:30 p.m. | Drinks at Quai 22 (Rue du Séminaire 22, 5000 Namur)6:30 p.m. | Claire RommelaereDistrust of philosophers of science7:00 p.m. | Aude Bandini Intellectualautonomy in the face of scientific authority: a headache for social epistemologyRegistration deadline: April 16.Free of charge. Register

Laura Gagliardi is a renowned international researcher at the University of Chicago, recognized for her pioneering contributions to theoretical and computational chemistry, particularly in the study of reticular materials such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The Solvay/Syensqo Chair in Chemistry honors chemists who have made exceptional advances in their fields. As part of this distinction, Professor Gagliardi delivered a series of lectures at several Belgian universities, including a seminar at the University of Namur, Department of Chemistry.

At a time when misinformation, post-truths and conspiracies are undermining confidence in science, UNamur welcomes SPiN (Science & Philosophy in Namur), a new interdisciplinary research center that questions the place of science in society. Founded last September by Olivier Sartenaer, Professor of Philosophy of Science at UNamur, SPiN brings together philosophers and scientists around a common vision: to develop a critical and accessible reflection on science in all its diversity..

Why take English classes when you want to become a veterinarian? How can you teach Spanish to future management engineers? Far from vocabulary lists or lab classes with headphones, these languages are taught as genuine cross-disciplinary skills that are essential for the jobs of tomorrow. 

The University of Namur is soon to offer two inaugural lessons for two Francqui Chairs, one in the Faculty of Science and the other in the Faculty of Law. Open to all, the inaugural lectures will be followed by a local drink. These events are free, upon registration.

JuryProf. Eli THORÉ (UNamur), PresidentProf. Patrick KESTEMONT (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Ranjàna RANDRIANARIVO (Université d'Antananarivo)Dr. Valérie CORNET (UNamur)Dr. Omayma MISSAWI (UNamur)Prof. Catherine MOUNEYRAC (Université Catholique de l'Ouest)Prof. Gauthier EPPE (ULiège)SummaryThe widespread production and use of plastics have led to their continuous release into the environment. Microplastics (MPs) are now ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, where their bioavailability to organisms and potential entry into the food web raise serious environmental and public health concerns. Substantial progress has been made in understanding MP toxicity, and their hazardous potential is now widely acknowledged. However, MP toxicity studies remain complex, as multiple particle characteristics, such as size, shape, polymer type, and sorbed contaminants might influence both bioavailabilityTo bridge this gap, the present thesis adopted a dual, complementary approach: (i) characterizing the environmental occurrence and bioavailability of MPs, and (ii) assessing the ecological relevance of using environmentally derived MPs in in vivo toxicity experiments.Overall, this thesis provides insights into the reproductive and transgenerational effects of environmentally relevant MPs while underscoring the importance of considering particle-pollutant interactions. By combining in situ field data with in vivo laboratory experiments, it demonstrates that the use of environmentally derived MPs represents a more realistic and ecologically meaningful approach to hazard characterization. Further studies should be carried out in this same perspective to generate robust, exploitable data and contribute to establishing a comprehensive MP risk characterization.

South America is a subcontinent rich in natural and cultural resources. Between biodiversity preservation and development cooperation, UNamur maintains valuable partnerships to address the challenges of biodiversity loss and understand current socio-economic transformations. Immersion in Ecuador and Peru. 

JuryProf. Nicolas DENDONCKER (UNamur), PresidentProf. Sabine HENRY (UNamur), SecretaryDr. Sébastien DUJARDIN (UNamur)Prof. Pierre OZER (ULiège)Prof. Emmanuel TWARABAMENYE (University of Rwanda)Prof. Caroline MICHELLIER (MRAC and UCLouvain)AbstractThis research investigates community vulnerability to landslides and floods in Northwestern Rwanda, hazards that frequently interact to produce compound disasters. The research focused on understanding the institutional, social, and structural factors that shape vulnerability and adaptive capacity in this disaster-prone region. Using a mixed-methods approach at local-scale, including institutional analysis, household surveys (n = 904), and field observations, the research highlights how vulnerability is shaped by socio-economic conditions, weak institutional coordination, and limited adaptive capacity. A Contextualized Vulnerability Index (CoVI) was developed to map vulnerability patterns, revealing particularly high vulnerability in landslide-prone and dual-hazard zones. The analysis of adaptive capacity showed that while awareness of hazards is high due to lived experiences, financial constraints, and limited technical knowledge hinder communities' ability to adapt effectively. The study contributes to the literature on social vulnerability and disaster risk reduction by emphasizing the importance of locally grounded, evidence-based strategies to strengthen community resilience in hazard-prone regions.

JuryProf. Guillaume BERIONNI (UNamur), PresidentProf. Stéphane VINCENT (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Carmen GALAN (University of Bristol)Dr. Louis FENSTERBANK (Collège de France)Prof. Raphaël ROBIETTE (Université catholique de Louvain)AbstractCarboxylic acids are ubiquitous in nature and inexpensive compounds. Decarboxylation has become a key chemical transformation and has been widely reported in organic chemistry except for carbohydrates. This reaction can be catalyzed by transition metal and can also be induced by light, thermal activation, or photocatalysis. Borylated compounds have stimulated the pharmaceutical industry's interest (Boromycin, Bortezomib or boron neutron capture therapy). Recent methodologies have been developed to transform carboxylic acids to boronate esters by metal-catalyzed or light-promoted or photocatalyzed reactions. In this thesis, we explored the synthesis of borylated carbohydrates through a decarboxylation pathway. More specifically, sialic acids being among the most important carbohydrates in glycobiology, we addressed the problem of the synthesis of borylated sialic acids. On the other hand, organophosphates play an important role in diverse fields: in materials chemistry, in agriculture, in organic chemistry, and in biochemistry. Phosphorylation is a key reaction in biological processes such as signal transduction and cell activity regulation. The formation of phosphorylated carbohydrates has been widely described through two-electron mechanisms. However, radical phosphorylation of carbohydrates remains unexplored. This Ph.D. thesis describes the development of new methodologies for the decarboxylative functionalization of carbohydrates, focusing on borylation and phosphorylation..

At a time when bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a public health problem, Professor Stéphane Vincent's team is currently developing dynamic constitutional frameworks (Dynamic Constitutional Frameworks, DCF): a molecular system that would be able to break down certain resistances and thus deliver antibiotics as close as possible to pathogens.