Résultats de recherche

This event will be the perfect opportunity not only to discover the latest advances in the field of biological macromolecules research, but also to share knowledge, collaborate, as well as to showcase the outstanding work of PhD students. PhD students are encouraged to submit an abstract for an oral presentation and/or poster. Five talks will be selected on the basis of received abstracts and added to the final programme. Prizes will be awarded for the best oral presentation and the best poster at the end of the event.  More info about abstract submission and registration on the website

Jury Prof. Nathalie BURNAY (UNamur), présidenteProf. Sabine HENRY (UNamur), secrétaireDr. Florence DE LONGUEVILLE (UNamur)Prof. Nathalie MONDAIN (Université d’Ottawa)Prof. Etienne PIGUET (Université de Neuchâtel)Prof. Sane TIDIANE (Université Assane Seck/Ziguinchor) Abstract Recent attention to environmental change has highlighted its impact on rural communities, particularly in Africa, where household-level adaptations play a crucial role in larger societal responses. Current research often overlooks these small-scale, everyday adaptations and how they evolve over time, limiting our understanding of rural communities' dynamic responses to environmental changes. This study focused on households living in rural West Africa, more specifically in the region of Saint-Louis in Senegal. To capture the complexity of the household adaptation journeys, the structured timeline mapping methodology was developed, which consists of completing timelines during interviews. Timelines were collected from 39 individuals in 17 households to explore how families perceive and adapt to environmental shifts. In addition, this research reflected on the added value and necessity of interviewing multiple household members to capture diverse lived experiences and ensure a comprehensive household-level perspective.Analysis of the data categorized the adaptation journeys into four typological groups reflecting different sensitivities and adaptive capacities: (1) diversified adjusters, (2) system maintainers, (3) environmental independence strivers, and (4) opportunity-driven adapters. All groups have differentiated responses to similar environmental changes, with differences in the temporality of the response, differences in the types of adaptations, and differences in the amount and diversity of adaptations. These differences result in resilience that evolves unevenly over time. Understanding these varied adaptation pathways lead to formulate policy recommendations aimed at improving adaptive capacity, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.

Depuis son inauguration en 2019, l’observatoire astronomique de l’UNamur a déployé un programme pédagogique et de médiation scientifique ouvert à toutes et à tous, avec l’ambition de faire découvrir les sciences par le prisme de l’observation des merveilles du ciel. 5 ans plus tard, le pari est réussi ! La petite équipe qui anime les lieux multiplie les collaborations et les activités proposées aux étudiantes et aux étudiants, aux écoles et au grand public. Cet automne, l’Observatoire astronomique célébrera l’empreinte durable qu’il a construite dans les yeux et les cœurs de son public en fêtant son 5e anniversaire. Une occasion de rassembler la communauté qui s’est développée autour de ses projets passés, présents et futurs ! Au programme 11H-16H : Visites de l’observatoireUNamur – Faculté des sciences12H-18H : Possibilité de visiter de l’exposition Stellar ScapeLe Pavillon de la Citadelle de Namur18H30 : Séance académique et réceptionUNamur – Faculté des sciences (S01)Inscriptions demandées via billetweb :

Jury Prof. Benoît CHAMPAGNE (UNamur), présidentProf. Carmela APRILE (UNamur), secrétaireProf. Eric GAIGNEAUX (UCLouvain)Prof. Sonia FIORILLI (Politecnico di Torino)Prof. Wouter MARCHAL (UHasselt) Abstract Heterogeneous acid catalysts became over the years essential to our modern industrial world. Among the possible forms of solid materials with acidic properties, porous silica-based structures embedding active single-sites showed highly promising catalytic activity for various reactions. The insertion of heteroelements inside the SiO2 network is known to introduce a combination of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites which depends on the nature of the element and influences the catalytic properties of the solid. The present thesis investigates the link between the Brønsted/Lewis acid balance introduced by different elements (Al, Ga, In, Ti, Zr, Hf) inserted or finely dispersed in/onto the structure of extra-small silica nanospheres and the catalytic performances of the solids for two distinct biomass derivatives valorization reactions (i.e. conversion of glycerol to solketal and of ethyl levulinate to γ-valerolactone).The optimizations of the syntheses were particularly focusing on the insertion of the element inside the SiO2 matrix to maximize the number of acid sites. In-depth characterizations were conducted on the different substituted nanospheres to probe their morphological, structural, and textural features. A special attention was dedicated to the characterization of the surface acidity. These results were put into perspective with the catalytic performances of the materials. At the end of the investigations, we were able to explain the difference in terms of catalytic activity between the different studied solids and identify the optimal acid properties for the targeted reactions. The stability and recyclability of the best working solids were also assessed, an acute tuning of reaction conditions enabled to reach significatively high conversions, and their performances were tested in challenging conditions (i.e. close to crude feedstock).The knowledge unveiled through these investigations will give precious insight to design new silica-based catalysts with the appropriate acidity for a wide variety of acid-catalyzed reactions.

Jury Prof. Catherine MICHAUX (UNamur), PrésidenteProf. Yoann OLIVIER (UNamur), secrétaireProf. Piotr DE SILVA (Technical University of Denmark)Prof. Daniel ESCUDERO MASA (KULeuven)Prof. Benoît CHAMPAGNE (UNamur)Prof. Luc HENRARD (UNamur) Abstract Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are now a well-established technology in modern electronic devices, from flexible TV screens to lighting applications. Each time we use our smartphone, billions of tiny molecules are electrically stimulated to emit the colorful light reaching our eyes. The ability of these molecules to convert electricity into light is the core principle of an OLED, and understanding the mechanisms behind this process can help improve their performance.Recently, two new families of triangular-shaped organic molecular systems, known as Multi-Resonant (MR) and Inverted Singlet-Triplet (INVEST) compounds, have shown promising features for OLED applications.In my PhD research, I used computational chemistry to explore the quantum mechanical effects that define the peculiar features of these systems.The first part of my thesis focused on identifying the correct computational protocol to properly describe the energy and nature of the singlet and triplet excited states of the INVEST compounds, highlighting the importance of methods including double excitations.  With this information in our hands, we combined quantum chemistry and group theory to design new light-emitting INVEST compounds. Finally, we applied both static and dynamic approaches to describe the spin conversion processes in MR and INVEST systems, providing a comprehensive picture of their electronic and photophysical properties for next generation OLED applications.

Jury Prof. Xavier DE BOLLE (UNamur), présidentProf. Jean-Yves MATROULE (UNamur) secrétaireDr Karrera DJOKO (Durham University)Dr Soufian OUCHANE (Paris-Saclay University)Dr Rob VAN HOUDT (SCK-CEN) Abstract The copper tolerance of the free-living bacteria Caulobacter crescentus depends on its dimorphic cell cycle. The sessile stalked cell detoxifies and effluxes copper through the multicopper oxidase PcoA and the Cu transporter PcoB respectively, while the swarmer cell senses and swims away from Cu sources. The transcriptional landscape of both morphotypes upon copper excess further confirms this. Among the few genes upregulated in both stalked and swarmer cells under copper excess, the CCNA_00027-00028 operon encodes a TonB-dependent receptor (TbcT) and a 2-oxoglutarate/Fe2+-dependent oxygenase (OxcT), respectively. The deletion of these two genes specifically increases the sensitivity towards Cu in C. crescentus. Interestingly, using a bioinformatics approach, we observed that the tbcT and oxcT genes co-occur in at least 67 % of bacteria containing a tbcT gene, and 88 % of bacteria containing an oxcT gene. The TbcT-OxcT system is not involved in the transport of copper nor the detoxification of copper-induced oxidative stress. Previous studies in C. crescentus and for homologous proteins showed that TbcT seems to be involved in iron import via siderophores, even though C. crescentus does not appear to synthesize siderophores. The overexpression of the tbcT gene appears to enhance the import of iron. OxcT activity is important for copper tolerance, although its specific activity has not yet been deciphered. Based on our results, we demonstrated that proper iron import is crucial for complete Cu tolerance, with the intracellular iron preventing copper accumulation. Taken together, our results argue for a tight coupling between iron and copper homeostasis in the context of copper tolerance. 

Docteur en physique et en philosophie, Dominique Lambert a à cœur de chercher ce qui pourrait éclairer les questions fondamentales : l’essence de la matière, l’origine de l’univers, de la vie… À l’aube de son départ à l’éméritat, il revient sur quelques-uns des concepts qui ont rythmé sa carrière universitaire. Rencontre.

Une équipe de géologues de l’UNamur a réalisé une surprenante découverte mettant en évidence la raison de la couleur verte de certaines stalagmites et stalactites présentes dans les grottes. Leurs travaux viennent de faire l’objet d’une publication dans la prestigieuse revue Scientific Reports.

Un groupe international de chercheurs dont le Professeur Yoann Olivier, de l’Institut NISM de l’UNamur, vient de publier dans la prestigieuse revue Nature. Le sujet : la compréhension des mécanismes microscopiques qui conduisent à l’initialisation, la lecture et l’effaçage de qubits moléculaires, une thématique neuve dans l’étude des matériaux, à la frontière entre la physique et la chimie. Explications.

Ce vendredi 24 novembre, l’UNamur recevait la visite de Madame Françoise Bertieaux, ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la recherche scientifique de la Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles. Le temps d’une matinée, la Ministre a eu l’occasion de prendre connaissance de nombreux domaines d’expertises et de recherche de pointe développés à l’UNamur.

Depuis septembre 2023, un nouvel axe de la recherche sur le cancer du pancréas est mené au sein de la Faculté de médecine et de l’Institut Narilis, avec l’arrivée de Marc Hennequart. Professeur en biochimie et biologie cellulaire, c'est un chercheur expérimenté dans le domaine de la biologie du cancer. Avec son équipe, il étudiera plus particulièrement les étapes précoces de l'oncogenèse du cancer du pancréas.

Ce 11 décembre 2023, le Département de biologie de l’UNamur accueillait le Professeur Patrice Cani (UCLouvain) dans le cadre d’un conférence grand public pour la célébration des 35 ans du Fonds Adrien Bauchau. Son sujet de recherche, le microbiote intestinal a rassemblé quelques 400 participants pour un exposé dynamique et intéressant par les applications directes sur notre santé et notre mode de nutrition.