A European Commission survey revealed that 64% of employers consider international experience to be a factor in hiring. In addition, 92% seek soft skills such as those acquired through mobility programs (openness, curiosity, problem-solving, decision-making, self-confidence). These are all skills that Erasmus+ mobility programs help develop.

Depending on the field of study and academic program, international mobility takes different forms at UNamur. For many undergraduate and graduate students, it involves an internship at a foreign institution, most often at a research center. That’s the path chosen by Lee Denis, a doctoral student in the Department of Physics, who spent three months at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA) in Boston during her master’s program. “At UNamur, I was working in a group specializing in infrared molecular spectroscopy. The goal of this type of research is, in particular, to characterize the interaction between molecules and light in order to generate data that can then be used to study atmospheres, particularly those of exoplanets,” explains Lee Denis. “My internship at the CFA allowed me to discover a scientific database that bridges the gap between researchers working on spectroscopy and those studying atmospheres using telescopes, satellites, or other instruments. In particular, I worked on water and on how results produced in the laboratory can be made available and useful to the entire scientific community. The results obtained were subsequently put to further use and were even presented at a conference.”

Beyond the research conducted in the United States, what else did you gain from this experience? “This internship helped me become more independent and confident. I was also able to expand my professional network and saw tangible results, notably by becoming a co-author of a scientific article published during this exchange,” says Lee Denis.

For Isabella Fontana, director of the International Relations Office, these exchange programs can also have an impact on students’ future academic paths. 

But Erasmus+ exchanges work both ways. As a result, UNamur also hosts international students and doctoral candidates for research internships. A recent example? In 2026, four Cambodian students joined the Department of Mathematics and the Namur Research Institute on Complex Systems (naXys) thanks to Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility funding. 

Among them was Vannuth Ven, a master’s student in data science at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), who chose to spend four months at UNamur. “I chose UNamur for its recognized expertise in mathematics and data science. This exchange allowed me to discuss my research with experienced researchers, exchange ideas in an international environment, and develop new perspectives for my work in the fields of artificial intelligence and the analysis of learning data in education.”

Vannuth Ven’s research focuses on data science and machine learning, with a particular emphasis on deep learning and dimension reduction methods. “As part of Cyril de Bodt’s team, my main task was to conduct research on optimization algorithms for a dimension reduction method called ‘Multi-Scale t-SNE.’ I compared the performance of four optimization schemes across 21 diverse datasets, developed an accelerated implementation, and created an interactive web platform allowing the community to reproduce and explore the results. ” This research also led to a research paper submitted to the WSOM+ 2026 international conference and published in Springer LNCS.

“Hosting these international students also allows us to strengthen our ties with partner institutions and continue to develop new research collaborations,” concludes Isabella Fontana. 

Imagine dozens of robots sent into a disaster zone to search for victims, monitor a fragile ecosystem, or respond to a chemical spill. In these environments that are difficult or dangerous for humans, swarms of robots could one day play a valuable role. 

But to operate independently, they must first be able to agree on a course of action. And the task becomes more complicated when the information they exchange isn’t always reliable: a robot might malfunction, a sensor might provide incorrect data, or a message might be tampered with during a cyberattack.

Andreagiovanni Reina of the University of Konstanz, Marco Dorigo and Raina Zakir of the Free University of Brussels, and Timoteo Carletti of UNamur sought to understand how robots can reach agreement when they receive conflicting information. To find a solution, the researchers turned to nature and to a champion of collective decision-making: the honeybee. 

Indeed, when a colony needs to find a new place to build its nest, bees set out to explore the surroundings and return to advocate for different locations. Those supporting one location can then send a signal to deter the bees advocating for another. Gradually, certain options are abandoned, and the colony eventually agrees on a single destination. 

Researchers have replicated this logic in robots. When a robot receives information that contradicts its current choice, it does not immediately change its mind. It first goes through a brief moment of hesitation, during which it no longer supports any option, before being able to make a new choice. This brief hesitation makes all the difference. Even when some information is false or unreliable, robots generally manage to reach agreement more quickly and clearly. 

Even more surprising, researchers discovered that a limited amount of unreliable information could sometimes improve the outcome. These disruptions can prevent the swarm from agreeing too quickly on a poor option and increase its chances of ultimately choosing the best one. 

Similar mechanisms exist at various levels in nature, from neural networks to the mechanisms that regulate cells. This research thus bridges the gap between biology and robotics: living organisms inspire the design of more efficient robots, while experiments conducted with these robots provide a better understanding of certain mechanisms found in nature. 

Ultimately, this approach could help swarms of robots determine which area to explore first after a disaster or which environmental threat to address first. Congratulations to Timoteo Carletti and the entire team on this publication in *Nature Communications*! 

On Tuesday, June 23, the state visit began with an official banquet at the Château de Laeken. Among the approximately 150 guests was Alexandre Mauroy, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences of UNamur. Invited at the request of the Vice-Rector for International Relations and Cooperation, he represented the University of Namur due to his scientific collaborations with Japanese researchers, particularly in connection with a future Erasmus+ project with Kyoto University. “It was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of UNamur,” he explains.

At the Castle of Laeken, Alexandre Mauroy encountered a highly formalized protocol and an evening attended by numerous prominent figures. “At the cocktail reception, Prime Minister Bart De Wever was right next to me. At the end of the evening, the King was having his coffee just a few meters away. The next morning, I almost felt like I’d been dreaming.”

The next day, the imperial procession stopped at the Castle of Namur for a visit focused on water management. On this occasion, Isabelle Parmentier, a professor in the Department of History at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and a specialist in environmental history, was invited by the Governor of the Province of Namur to present a scholarly lecture on the province’s hydrological history. This topic was chosen because of Emperor Naruhito’s interest in issues related to water and the environment.

“It’s a truly special experience,” she explains. “I never would have imagined going through this a few years ago. I was very happy to be able to present my area of expertise to the monarchs.” After the presentations, she shared lunch at the table of the Emperor of Japan and King Philippe. “Protocol dictated that we not speak to them spontaneously, but the Emperor showed great interest in my presentation and asked me several questions.” 

Although their experiences were very different, Alexandre Mauroy and Isabelle Parmentier both share the same feeling: pride in having represented the University of Namur at an event that highlights the strength of relations between Belgium and Japan, as well as the international reach of the research conducted at UNamur. 

Cooperation lies at the heart of many human societies, ecosystems, and microbial communities. Yet it is constantly threatened by individuals who benefit from collective efforts without contributing themselves. A new study driven by an international collaboration between the teams lead by, Professor Dibakar Ghosh (ISI, Kolkata, India), Professor Matjaž Perc (University of Maribor, Slovenia) and Professor Timoteo Carletti (UNamur, naXys institute, Belgium) shows that the way individuals move within a network can play a decisive role in sustaining cooperation.

For decades, scientists have sought to understand why cooperation persists even though selfish behaviour often appears more advantageous in the short term. Classical theoretical models generally predict that “defectors” — individuals who benefit from a common resource without contributing to it — should eventually dominate.

Reality, however, tells a different story. In nature as well as in human societies, cooperation remains remarkably widespread. To investigate this apparent paradox, the researchers developed a mathematical model describing populations organized in groups modelled as nodes of a network, where cooperators and defectors can move between groups. Their analysis reveals an unexpected phenomenon: when defectors move faster than cooperators, their advantage can actually diminish. Because cooperators are less mobile, they tend to remain clustered together. These clusters create favourable conditions for mutual support and allow cooperation to persist despite the presence of opportunistic individuals.

The researchers also found that the structure of the network itself plays an important role. Highly connected nodes — comparable to transportation hubs or highly influential individuals in a social network — are particularly effective at sustaining cooperation. By contrast, more peripheral areas remain more vulnerable to defection.

These findings highlight a simple yet powerful mechanism: differences in mobility can promote the spontaneous emergence of stable cooperative communities. The results offer new insights into the dynamics of collective behaviour across a wide range of systems, from ecosystems and human societies to microbial populations.

The journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS), a peer-reviewed publication of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), is a leading venue for high-impact original research spanning the biological, physical, and social sciences. The journal has a global reach and welcomes submissions from researchers around the world.

Congratulations to the researchers on this publication!