Article

Thomas Balligand: from Medicine to Fundamental Research at UNamur

Thomas Balligand, now a lecturer at UNamur, combines his passion for basic research with teaching in histology and cytology. After a diverse background in internal medicine and research, notably at Harvard, he is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists while pursuing his work on nanobodies and their potential in immunotherapy. His desire to awaken scientific curiosity in his students illuminates his new role at the university..
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Event

Annual Research Day

The program 2:00 pm | Keynote lecture on the use of AI in research - Hugues BERSINI, Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles: "Can science be just data driven?" 3:00 pm | Presentations by UNamur researchers3:00 pm | Catherine Guirkinger: Use of AI in an economic history project3:15 pm | Nicolas Roy (PI: Alexandre Mayer): AI at the service of innovation in photonics and optics: revealing the secrets of scrolls through the classification of animal species15:25 | Nemanja Antonic (PI: Elio Tuci): An in silico representation of C. elegans collective behaviour<15h35 | Nicolas Franco : The benefits and dangers of "predicting the future" with covid-like machine learning models 15h45 | Michel Ajzen : Managerial and human implications of AI in organizations <15h55 | Robin Ghyselinck (PI : Bruno Dumas) : Deep Learning for endoscopy: towards next generation computer-aided diagnosis4:05 pm | Auguste Debroise (PI : Guilhem Cassan) : LLMs to measure the importance of stereotypes within gender representations in Hollywood films16h15 | Gabriel Dias De Carvalho : Learning practices in physics using generative AI16h25 | Sébastien Dujardin (PI : Catherine Linard) : Where Geography meets AI: A case study on mapping online flood conversations16h35 | Jeremy Dodeigne : LLMs in SHS: revolutionary tools in a Wild West Territory? Reflections on costs, transparency and open science16h45 | Antoinette Rouvroy : Governing AI in Democracy17h00 | Keynote lecture on ethics and guidelines to consider when using AI in research projects and writing research articles - Bettina BERENDT, Professor at KU Leuven18h00 | Benoît Frenay and Michaël Lobet : Creation of an IA scientific committee at UNamur18:10 | DrinkA certificate of attendance, worth 0.5 cross-disciplinary doctoral training credits, will be issued on request. Contact: secretariat.adre@unamur.beThis event is free of charge, but registration is required. I want to register
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Article

New success for the Vodoun School of Economics in Benin

The Vodoun School of Economics (VoSE) in January 2025 was another success, bringing together participants from four institutions: the University of Namur, the University of Abomey-Calavi, the University of Antwerp and the African School of Economics.
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Article

Covid-19, five years on: A look back at UNamur's major role in the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic is a human tragedy that has caused millions of deaths worldwide and put our entire society under great strain. But it has also been a tremendous collective moment for many UNamur scientists, whose research continues in an attempt to better understand this disease and its consequences.
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Article

UNamur and the blob on board the International Space Station with Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liegéois

The three Belgian scientific experiments selected to be carried out on board the International Space Station (ISS) during astronaut Raphaël Liégeois' mission in 2026 have just been unveiled by the Federal Science Policy Public Service (Belspo). One of them is carried by a team from UNamur for an experiment at the crossroads of biology and physics aimed at analyzing the resistance of the "blob", an atypical unicellular organism.
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Article

UNamur supports FNRS in its drive to make life worth living

On May 10, 2025, Vice-Rector Carine Michiels and Professor Anne-Catherine Heuskin handed over UNamur's cheque at the grand closing evening of Operation Télévie, which this year raised a record €13,351,977 for the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique. Télévie funds are used entirely to finance cancer research projects at universities in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
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Event

Medical Journal Club in primary care

Target audienceGeneral practitioners (in practice or in training)PharmacistsMedical and pharmacy studentsObjectivesShare and discuss scientific articles relevant to frontline practice in a friendly and caring atmosphereStrengthen skills in critical reading and evidence-based medicineCreate a lasting link between the field and the academic worldFederate an active and committed medico-pharmaceutical community.pharmaceutical communityWhy participate?Because science moves fast, and we all benefit from taking the time to read, understand, and question the literature together. Because quality care starts with shared reflection. And because it's the ideal opportunity to strengthen bridges between disciplines.Location and frequency of meetingsUNamur - Quai22 - 2 times a yearFirst meeting: 5/06/2025 (free with registration)INAMI accreditation required. I want to register
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Article

An exploratory mission to forge ties with Senegal

A delegation from the Université de Namur took part in an exploratory mission to the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal. The aim: to discover the research carried out in the field, meet UCAD researchers and initiate future collaborations between the two institutions.
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Article

Media and politics: a prestigious international collaboration

For the past ten years, Professor Guilhem Cassan has been working on the question of the link between the media and political life in collaboration with Professor Julia Cagé, who has just been awarded the highly prestigious Yrjö Jahnsson Prize, which recognizes the best European economist under the age of 45. The UNamur Department of Economics (EMCP Faculty) and the DeFiPP Institute (CRED Centre) have a network and recognized international expertise in development economics and environmental economics.
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Article

ALTAïS - Penetrating the depths of matter to meet today's challenges

Founded some 50 years ago, the Laboratoire d'Analyse par Réactions Nucléaires (LARN) in the Department of Physics at the University of Namur is home to a 2MV tandem particle gas pedal named ALTAÏS (Accélérateur Linéaire Tandetron pour l'Analyse et l'Implantation des Solides), in operation since 1999.
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Article

Better prediction of climate extremes

Statistics usually focus on anticipating events that fall within the norm. But what about rare events? They are dealt with by a branch of mathematics called extreme value theory, in which Anna Kiriliouk, lecturer in statistics at UNamur, is a specialist. Applied to the climate, this theory enables us to better predict extreme climatic events, at a time when these are multiplying due to climate change.
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Event

DEFIPP - EUDN Annual Conference

Program FEBRUARY 139.00-9.30 Registration Auditorium E13Chair: Jean-Marie Baland9.30-10.15 Catherine Guirkinger (University of Namur) - Height, parental investments and marriage payments in sub-Saharan Africa10.15-11 Clément Imbert (Sc Pos Paris) - Dry Lives: Climate Adaptation and Mortality in the Semi-arid Regions of Brazil 11-11.30 coffee break11.30-12.15 Karlijn Morsink (Utrecht University) - Keeping the Peace while Getting Your Way: Information, Persuasion and Intimate Partner Violence12.15-13.00 Liam Wren-Lewis (Paris School of Economics) - Decentralization, Ethnic Fractionalization, and Public Services: Evidence from Kenyan Healthcare 13.00-14.10 Lunch Break and EC MeetingChair: Guilhem Cassan14.15-15.00 Christelle Dumas (University of Fribourg) Informal labor exchange teams and participation on the labor market: Evidence from rural Tanzania15.00-15.45 Andreas Madestam (University of Stockholm) Credit Contracts, Business Development and Gender: Evidence from Uganda15.45-16.15 Coffee Break16.15-17.00 Salvatore di Falco (University of Geneva) Farming, Non-Farm Enterprise, and Migration Under Incomplete Markets17:00-17:45 Jadnith Kaur (University of Glasgow) How Much Do I Matter? Teacher Self-Beliefs, Effort, and Education Production18:15 EUDN General Assembly 19.30 Conference DinnerFEBRUARY 14Chair: Sylvie Lambert9.30-10.15 Yannick Dupraz (University of Paris Dauphine) A century of language and migration in India10:15-11:00 Laura Montebruck (Stockholm University) Fiscal exchange and Tax Compliance: Strengthening the the Social Contract Under Low State Capacity 11-11.30 coffee break11.30-12.15 Justine Knebelmann (Sciences Po, Paris) Discretion versus Algorithms: Bureaucrats and Tax Equity in Senegal12.15-13.00 Imelda (Geneva Graduate Institute) Crime in the Dark: Role of Electricity Rationing 13.00-14.00 Lunch BreakChair: Catherine Guirkinger14.00-14:45 Rieger Matthias (Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Rotterdam) Shaken, not Stunted? Global Evidence on Natural Disasters, Child Growth and Recovery14.45-15:30 Guilhem Cassan (University of Namur) Political Determinants of the News Market: Novel Data and Quasi-Experimental evidence from India 15.45 End of the Conference Full program
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