Established in 2012, the VUB Fellowship programme creates collaboration with socially impactful people active in policy, industry, business, civil society, the social and cultural world, education, media and other sectors. They share their expertise, experience and network with the university, its faculties and its hospital for at least three years.
“As University Fellowship Coordinator of the VUB, I am convinced that an interdisciplinary approach must go hand in hand with a strong link between academia and society,” says Hugo Thienpont, vice-rector for Innovation & Valorisation.
The keynote was delivered by Hind Fraihi, a journalist for news site Apache and columnist for newspaper De Tijd. Her research shows that polarisation in society is also making itself felt in schools. “Influenced by online hatred and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, education is seeing a rapid increase in polarisation and radicalisation,” she said. “Since the start of the war in Israel and Gaza, the number of reports of problematic radicalisation in schools has only been increasing.”
She views this development with great concern and calls for a reaction. For her, schools and universities have a major role to play. “The road to a connected future inevitably goes through education; with knowledge institutions truly going out into the field. Now more than ever, we need to reach out to young people, particularly the most vulnerable. Education institutions must take to the streets, squares and youth groups. Why shouldn’t a professor give a guest lecture standing on a beer crate in a local youth centre?”
According to VUB rector Jan Danckaert, we live in a world in transition. “We need science that benefits society: science for the common good. Science that contributes to a sustainable and more just future. We can only succeed if we remain deeply connected to society. Our Fellows play a crucial role in this.”
National Drug Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch on her fellowship.
“I love Brussels very much and believe very much in young people. For me, they are the future. And a connecting network only gives more meaning to that.”
28 VUB Fellows 2024
Solvay VUB Fellows
Caroline Craenhals - CEO Belgian Scrap Terminal
Caroline Vrijens - Flemish Commissioner for Children's Rights
Fatiha Saïdi - author and Honorary Senator
Miranda Ulens - general secretary ABVV
Tony Mary - director Colibra & anyKrowd
Law and Criminolgy VUB Fellows
Rudi Delarue - president National Labour Council
Science Fellows
Marc Henneaux - director International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry
Frederik Caenepeel - technology engineer Atlas Copco
Arts and Humanities VUB Fellows
John Vandaele - journalist and author MO* magazine
Anaïs Maes - alderman City of Brussels
Brecht Deseure - postdoctoral researcher KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) and ULB
Celestina Jorge Vindes - founder Pépite Blues
Psychology and Educational Sciences VUB Fellows
Bart Temmerman - secretary-general Department of Culture, Youth and Media - Flemish Government
Steven Vervoort - general director Education and Training - Flemish Community Commission
UMC VUB Fellows
Ann Ceuppens - research director Landsbond van Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen
Dirk Ramaekers - president Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment
Khadija Rhioui - Clinical Research Project Manager, Pfizer
Miranda Cornet - director Non-clinical Safety Evaluation UCB
Engineering VUB Fellows
Jan Van Steirteghem - Chief Operating Officer BESIX
Ludo Cuypers - Managing Director COMmeto
Jean Pierre Hollevoet - director Energy and Climate Transition Fluvius
Institute for European Studies VUB Fellows
Catherine Woollard - director ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles)
Movement and Rehabilitation VUB Fellows
Philip Van der Veen - director, prospect management THERADEX ONCOLOGY
VUB Fellows
Hind Fraihi - journalist, author, columnist
Marc Dedobbeleer - chairman board of directors AMAB
Maarten Michielssens - founder & CEO EnergyVision
Ine Van Wymersch - National Drug Commissioner
Mikhaël Cops - co-founder and programme director De Chinezen