"Women shaping science": female VUB academics in the spotlight
With its campaign "Women shaping science", the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is putting its female researchers firmly in the spotlight. The visual centrepiece is a photo exhibition featuring twenty portraits of scientists, taken by photographer Lieve Blancquaert. In addition, VUB Tomorrow is dedicating a series of articles to leading female researchers and the VUB is compiling a list of expert female scientists. As living role models, they inspire a new generation and demonstrate the significant importance of their research, leadership and social impact.
The photo exhibition runs from February 11 to March 6, 2026 on the ground floor of the Braem Building on the Etterbeek campus and is open to the public free of charge on weekdays during office hours. The timing has been deliberately chosen: the opening day, 11 February, coincides with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and just after the closing day is 8 March, International Women's Day. A travelling version of the exhibition will also be on display at other locations in Flanders at a later date.
From 20 portraits to hundreds of stories
QR codes accompanying all the portraits lead visitors to the stories of the portrayed researchers. These women conduct research, excel in their fields, take leadership roles and share their expertise with society. They symbolise the hundreds of women who advance science every day in the laboratories, research centres, lecture halls, policy rooms and public forums of the VUB. "The impact of our female scientists on society is impressive," says VUB rector Jan Danckaert. "They translate scientific knowledge into real change: they develop technologies that reshape our way of life, experiment with new treatments and provide scientifically based answers to complex social questions. Their scientific research in medicine, artificial intelligence, climate, economics, law and many other fields contributes every day to the answers our world needs today and tomorrow."
Join us at the opening of the photo exhibition "Women shaping science"
The photo exhibition ‘Women shaping science’ will be officially opened on Wednesday 11 February at 4 pm, in the presence of the academics portrayed and photographer Lieve Blancquaert. This moment also marks the start of the campaign.
More than an exhibition
"Women shaping science" is more than a one-off exhibition. The VUB is developing a broad and sustainable campaign around the exhibition. Here at VUB Tomorrow, there will be a special feature on VUB women in top-level research; an anthology of fascinating articles about their work, their motivation, their inspiration and challenges, with a special focus on the prestigious research grants and funds, often at international level, that they have secured.
In addition, a list of female VUB experts per research domain is being compiled as a permanent service for journalists and editors looking for scientific interpretation. The campaign also provides figures on the representation, careers and career opportunities of women in science at the VUB. In doing so, explicit attention is paid to women in policy positions: female members of governing bodies and councils who help determine the strategic direction of the university and thus create the framework within which education and research take shape.
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With 'Women shaping science', the VUB is acting on a clear conviction: representation matters. By highlighting who is leading research, shaping policy and gaining international recognition today, the university is showing that the glass ceiling can indeed be broken. The researchers portrayed are living role models. They show that science, leadership and social impact do not have to be exceptions, but an achievable reality that can inspire a new generation.
Support research by female academics
Especially for this campaign, the VUB Foundation opened a donation account where supporters can contribute to support VUB women in their research. In this way, the university not only wants to recognise what already exists today, but also invest in the future of new generations of female researchers.
