Résultats de recherche

Troisième et dernier focus de l’été sur le centre de recherche NaDI-CeRCLe, qui s’est démarqué à l’international ces dernières semaines grâce aux reconnaissances obtenues par trois jeunes chercheurs en management des services. Après Floriane Goosse et Victor Sluÿters, nous vous proposons de découvrir le travail de Florence Nizette, jeune chercheuse travaillant sur les technologies d’Intelligence artificielle.

Abstract Deep learning has become an extremely important technology in numerous domains such as computer vision, natural language processing, and autonomous systems. As neural networks grow in size and complexity to meet the demands of these applications, the cost of designing and training efficient models continues to rise in computation and energy consumption. Neural Architecture Search (NAS) has emerged as a promising solution to automate the design of performant neural networks. However, conventional NAS methods often require evaluating thousands of architectures, making them extremely resource-intensive and environmentally costly.This thesis introduces a novel, energy-aware NAS pipeline that operates at the intersection of Software Engineering and Machine Learning. We present CNNGen, a domain-specific generator for convolutional architectures, combined with performance and energy predictors to drastically reduce the number of architectures that need full training. These predictors are integrated into a multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), enabling an efficient search for architectures that balance accuracy and energy consumption.Our approach explores a variety of prediction strategies, including sequence-based models, image-based representations, and deep metric learning, to estimate model quality from partial or symbolic representations. We validate our framework across three benchmark datasets, CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and Fashion-MNIST, demonstrating that it can produce results comparable to state-of-the-art architectures with significantly lower computational cost. By reducing the environmental footprint of NAS while maintaining high performance, this work contributes to the growing field of Green AI and highlights the value of predictive modelling in scalable and sustainable deep learning workflows. Jury Prof. Wim Vanhoof - University of Namur, BelgiumProf. Gilles Perrouin - University of Namur, BelgiumProf. Benoit Frénay - University of Namur, BelgiumProf. Pierre-Yves Schobbens - University of Namur, BelgiumProf. Clément Quinton - University of Lille, FranceProf. Paul Temple- University of Rennes, FranceProf. Schin’ichi Satoh - National Institute of Informatics, Japon

Moisson de récompenses pour le centre de recherche NaDI-CeRCLe ces dernières semaines. Les recherches en management des services de trois jeunes doctorants de la Faculté EMCP ont en effet été reconnues par leurs pairs lors d’événements scientifiques internationaux de premier plan : il s’agit de Floriane Goosse, Victor Sluÿters et Florence Nizette. Cet été, nous vous proposons de découvrir leurs parcours et leurs travaux.  

Abstract Plastic pollution has emerged as a pervasive environmental threat, with micro- and nanoplastics (MPs and NPs) accumulating across ecosystems and organisms, including humans. Their ability to adsorb and transport contaminants raises critical concerns for both environmental and public health.This thesis investigates the developmental neurotoxicity of MPs and NPs in zebrafish (Danio rerio), emphasizing the influence of particle size and mixture toxicity. NPs were shown to cross the embryonic chorion, disrupt physiological functions, and induce anxiety-like behaviour, whereas MPs mainly altered gene expression related to neurodevelopment. When co-exposed with methylmercury (MeHg), NPs enhanced MeHg accumulation in the brain and sensory organs, exacerbating its neurotoxic effects. Notably, the mixture induced severe hypoactivity, impaired lipid metabolism and neurotransmission, and increased mortality.These findings highlight the critical need to assess plastic particle toxicity not only in isolation but also in environmentally relevant mixtures. NPs, due to their small size and high reactivity, may act as vectors for toxicants like MeHg, amplifying their effects during sensitive developmental stages. Jury Prof. Frédéric SILVESTRE (UNamur), PrésidentProf. Patrick KESTEMONT (UNamur), SecrétaireDr Valérie CORNET (UNamur)Prof. Eli THORÉ (UNamur)Prof. Jérôme CACHOT (Université de Bordeaux)Dr Krishna DAS (Université de Liège)

Programme 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 Uganda 15.45-16.15 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 Production 18:15 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 Programme complet

Au programme Des interventions d’experts et de chercheurs dans le domaine de la data science, , de l’IA, des jumeaux numériques, du droit du numérique et des processus participatifs.Inscriptions sur le site internet Vivre la Ville...

En septembre 1961, quelques professeurs et une quinzaine d’étudiants inauguraient la Faculté des sciences économiques et sociales de l’Université de Namur. Devenue ensuite Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales et de gestion ou FSESG, elle a formé, en plus de 60 ans d’existence, des milliers d’étudiants devenus experts et décideurs dans des domaines essentiels : économie, management, communication et sciences politiques. En septembre 2024, elle changeait de nom pour devenir la Faculté EMCP ou Faculté Économie Management Communication sciencesPo. Un changement de nom, symbole d’une mutation visionnaire.

La Vodoun School of Economics (VoSE) de janvier 2025 a connu un nouveau succès, réunissant des participants de quatre institutions : l'Université de Namur, l'Université d'Abomey-Calavi, de l’Université d’Antwerp et l'African School of Economics.

The workshop will feature:A keynote presentation on public value and AI implementation at VRT.Sessions on discoverability, user agency, and explainability.Discussions on regulation, including perspectives on the AI Act and transparency in media.An interactive session showcasing AI-driven prototypes.The event will also highlight our project’s latest findings. Join us for a day of thought-provoking discussions, knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities!Would you like to attend? Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so register as soon as possible. Registration will close on April 11, 2025. More information here

Un ordinateur peut-il apprendre une langue comme le fait un enfant ? Une étude récente publiée dans la revue de référence Computational Linguistics par les professeurs Katrien Beuls (Université de Namur) et Paul Van Eecke (AI-lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel) apporte un nouvel éclairage sur cette question. Les chercheurs plaident pour une révision fondamentale de la manière dont l'intelligence artificielle acquiert et traite le langage. 

Les statistiques s'attachent habituellement à anticiper les événements qui se trouvent dans la norme. Mais qu'en est-il des événements rares ? Ils sont traités par une branche des mathématiques, la théorie des valeurs extrêmes, dont Anna Kiriliouk, chargée de cours en statistiques à l'UNamur est une spécialiste. Appliquée au climat, cette théorie permet de mieux prévoir les événements climatiques extrêmes, alors que ces derniers se multiplient en raison du changement climatique. 

Call for papersAfter a first visit 10 years ago, the Belgian Entrepreneurship Research Day (BERD) is back in Namur for its 15th edition which will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025.The Belgian Entrepreneurship Research Day (BERD) annually brings together Belgian entrepreneurship researchers to present and discuss their most recent research and provide network opportunities. PhD students, researchers and professors are invited to submit their abstracts or full papers in any area of entrepreneurship. English will be the working language during presentations and discussions. This year, besides paper presentation sessions, the BERD welcomes Prof. dr. Martin Obschonka (University of Amsterdam) for a Keynote entitled "The rise of AI in entrepreneurship research: Opportunities and challenges".Abstract and full paper submissionPlease email your abstract or full paper to marcus.dejardin@unamur.be, with the subject line “BERD 2025”, no later than Monday, April 28, 2025.A notice of acceptance will be sent by Wednesday, April 30, 2025.Conference feeParticipants are asked to cover part of the expenses to the amount of € 70Please pay before Wednesday, May 7, 2025 to:Université de Namur, BNP Paribas Fortis, IBAN: BE10 2500 0740 2704; SWIFT/BIC: GEBABEBB - with communication: 4911912 + Your Name + BERD 2025). The fee covers lunch, coffee breaks and documentation. Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses.Organizing committeeThe organizing committee for this event is composed of: Judith Behrens and Olivier Witmeur (Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management), Hans Crijns (Vlerick Business School), Thomas Crispeels (VUB), Marcus Dejardin (University of Namur & UCLouvain), Frank Janssen (UCLouvain), Mirjam Knockaert (Ghent University), Eddy Laveren and Johanna Vanderstraeten (University of Antwerp), Vincent Molly (KU Leuven), Bernard Surlemont and Frédéric Ooms (Université de Liège), Pieter Vandekerkhof and Jelle Schepers (Universiteit Hasselt). If you have any questions, please contact: marcus.dejardin@unamur.be or nathan.jespere@unamur.beLooking ahead to welcome you soon in Namur!