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.
See content
Article

UNamur on state visit to Vietnam

From March 31 to April 4, 2025, a Belgian delegation, including UNamur Rector Annick Castiaux, took part in a royal mission to Vietnam aimed at strengthening economic, academic and scientific ties between the two countries. The mission was punctuated by several milestone events highlighting UNamur's fruitful collaborations with Vietnamese institutions.
See content
Article

Anti-anxiety drugs disrupt salmon migration in the wild, new study finds

An international research team led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has uncovered how pharmaceutical pollution alters the behaviour and migration patterns of Atlantic salmon in nature. Professor Eli Thoré, from the Department of Biology and the ILEE research institute at the University of Namur, contributed to this groundbreaking field study, which has just been published in Science.
See content
Event

ILEE-NISM (lunch) seminar

High-Sensitivity Birefringence Mapping Using Near-Circularly Polarized Light I will describe several techniques for mapping a two-dimensional birefringence distribution, which can be classified according to the optical schemes and principles of work:Illumination geometry (transmitted light/reflected light)Image acquisition (sequential acquisition/simultaneous acquisition)Polarization control (electrically controlled variable retardance/mechanical rotation).This classification facilitates a comparative analysis of the capabilities and limitations in these methods for birefringence characterization. Polychromatic polarizing microscopy (PPM) provides unique capabilities to alternative methods. It leverages vector interference to generate vivid, full-spectrum colors at extremely low retardances, down to < 10 nm. PPM is a significant departure from conventional polarizing microscopes that rely on Newton interference, which requires retardances above 400 nm for color formation. Furthermore, PPM's color output directly reflects the orientation of the birefringent material, a feature absent in conventional microscopy where color is solely determined by retardance.Joint seminar of ILEE & NISM!The seminar is open to external people too, no need to register. More info
See content
Event

Fish Physiology in Support of Sustainable Aquaculture

Deadlines Opening of abstract submissions and registrations: September 15, 2025Deadline to submit indicative title and summary: November 30, 2025Deadline for final abstract submissions: May 1, 2026Early bird registration deadline: March 1, 2026 More information on the website
See content
Article

Let’s Twist (Light) Again: UNamur & Stanford bend beams in photonic crystals

An international team of researchers has just published an article in the prestigious journal Light: Science & Applications (LSA) from the Nature group.  The teams led by Professors Michaël Lobet and Alexandre Mayer (University of Namur) collaborated with the team led by Professor Shanhui Fan, one of the leading experts in the field, from the prestigious Stanford University in California (USA).  The result: an article entitled ‘Twist-Induced Beam Steering and Blazing Effects in Photonic Crystal Devices’, or the study of beam deflection by twisting in photonic crystal devices.  Come on, let's twist light again at UNamur! 
See content
Article

UNamur researchers published in Nature Physics

Professor Timoteo Carletti of the University of Namur has just published in the prestigious journal Nature Physics in collaboration with Professor Ginestra Bianconi of Queen Mary University of London and eight other international researchers. This groundbreaking study could lead to the development of new AI algorithms, new ways of studying brain function, or breakthroughs in disciplines such as physics, climate science, finance and many others.
See content
Article

ORION: Sustainable management of water resources in the Meuse watershed

On December 11, 2024, the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardenne hosted the launch event for the ORION project, in which the University of Namur is a partner. This project, financed for 4 years by ERDF and INTERREG funds, aims to improve water management in the Val de Meuse while preserving the ecosystems of the Val de Meuse, a river running through France and Belgium.
See content
Article

A furnace to reproduce magmatic processes in Mars rocks

Max Collinet, professor of geology at the Faculty of Science and researcher at the Institute of Life, Earth and Environment (ILEE), has just been awarded equipment funding (EQP) from the F.R.S - FNRS following calls whose results were published in December 2024.
See content
Event

ILEE lunch seminar

Presentations Romain Deleu (Geology): Hydrodynamics of solute transport in karst conduits: assessment by multi-point dye tracing and numerical modellingJustine Bélik (Biology): Can DNA methylation predict the age of a self-fertilizing vertebrate species?
See content
Article

Mapping life

In 2021, the European Union has embarked on a titanic project to safeguard the genomes of all eukaryotic species in Europe. In other words, all living organisms, with the exception of bacteria and archaea (micro-organisms). Called ERGA, for European Reference Genome Atlas, and in which UNamur is participating thanks to Professor Alice Dennis, this project hopes to help safeguard biodiversity, at a time when a fifth of European species are in danger of extinction..
See content
Article

The "Même pas peur! between education, experience and commitment

The wolf, long banished from our lands, has made a remarkable comeback in Wallonia since 2016. This mysterious being, now protected, arouses as much fascination as fear. Through an exhibition, held as part of the Cultural Project course, third-year history bachelor students have traced the history of the wolf. From April 11 to 27, 2024, the exhibition entitled "Même pas peur! Une évolution de l'image du loup à travers les siècles" invited audiences to plunge into the heart of a historical exploration.
See content