Research institut

Institute of Life, Earth and Environment

Welcome to ILEE, the Institute of Life, Earth and Environment at the University of Namur, committed to addressing pressing environmental issues.We bring together a team of experts from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to work collaboratively using innovative technologies and rigorous scientific methods to make meaningful contributions to the field of environmental science. 

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Research institut

Namur Institute of Structured Matter

The NISM institute brings together the research activities of the chemistry and physics departments at the University of Namur. Research at the NISM institute focuses on various topics in organic chemistry, physical chemistry, (nano)materials chemistry, surface science, optics and photonics, and solid-state physics, from both a theoretical and experimental perspective.

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Article

Understanding epigenetics to preserve biodiversity

Do you know the rivulus? It is a small fish that lives in the Caribbean and has some amazing characteristics. It is indeed capable of self-fertilisation! But in this case, what happens to genetic diversity, which is essential for the evolution of a species? Welcome in the mangroves of Florida and Belize to find an answer.
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Article

Laurent Houssiau, an FNRS physicist working on dental implants

In the summer of 2022, we set out to discover the UNamur researchers who were awarded funding by the FNRS in 2022. Today, it is Laurent Houssiau, who has been awarded a bilateral collaborative research project funded by the FNRS and the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ). His project focuses on the design and development of new multifunctional thin overlays that aim to improve the clinical performance of dental implants.
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Article

Parchment bindings under the microscope

To restore an old book correctly, it is essential to know the secrets of its manufacture and the reasons for its deterioration. Thanks to the King Baudouin Foundation's Jean-Jacques Comhaire Fund, the restoration workshop of the Moretus Plantin University Library has launched a new research project on parchment bindings in the Southern Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries. The aim is to gain a better understanding in order to improve conservation.
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Article

In Einstein’s footsteps and beyond

An international team of physicists led by Dr Michaël Lobet, lecturer at UNamur, re-examines the foundations of quantum physics from the point of view of momentum in the prestigious journal Nature Light Science & Applications. The researchers investigated what happens when this momentum is reduced to zero. Some interesting things happen! Explanations.
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Article

An ERC Consolidator grant for Professor Guillaume Berionni's B-YOND project!

The ERC CoG, a funding instrument of the European Research Council (ERC), enables outstanding scientists to implement innovative concepts over a period of five years and thus strengthens the European research landscape. The B-YOND project will focus on the reprogramming of chemical elements properties in order to initiate the creation of a new generation of more robust and accessible catalysts.
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Article

Drawing inspiration from nature to innovate

Prof. Olivier Deparis and Dr Sébastien Mouchet (University of Namur, NISM Institute, Department of Physics) have published a book on the theme of physical optics and environmental biology. On the path of Jean-Pol Vigneron’s research, this “avant-garde” book according to Artech House, opens the door to bioinspired applications in the fields of optics, energy and the environment. Explanation.
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Article

TINALTA: Development of an innovative coating

Researchers at the UNamur have just filed a patent for a completely innovative coating, in collaboration with the spin-off Innovative Coating Solutions (ICS). This project was supported by the Win²Wal programme of SPW Research.
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Article

"Better management of mineral resources around the world": a warning from geologist Johan Yans, new member of the Académie Royale des Sciences d'Outre-Mer.

Designed to promote scientific knowledge in overseas countries, the Royal Academy of Overseas Sciences (RAOS) is an independent, multidisciplinary, national and international forum serving Science in overseas countries. Professor of geology at UNamur, Johan Yans has just been appointed as a new member of ARSOM.
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Article

Belgium-Tunisia collaboration: geological and ecological challenges

On Thursday 29 September 2022, the Vice-Rector for International Relations, the International Relations Service and the Department of Geology received Professor Fakher Jamoussi (Tunisia) as part of the "Tunisia on the move - 2022" project. For more than twenty years, the teams of Professors Johan Yans and Fakher Jamoussi have been weaving scientific, didactic and human collaborations aiming at enhancing the fabulous subsoil of Tunisia.
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Article

A publication on non-linear optics in the prestigious "Accounts of Chemical Research" (ACS) journal

An international team of researchers, including Professor Benoît Champagne from UNamur, has just published a paper in the prestigious journal "Accounts of Chemical Research" (ACS). They have demonstrated the role of dynamic fluctuations in the structure of molecules on their optical properties. This aspect of dynamics is innovative because previous studies were limited to rigid structures.
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