Departments and research groups

Our Faculty has 12 departments, which are mainly oriented towards education and combine similar disciplines. In addition, we also house 13 research groups that aim to bring groundbreaking research and innovation deep into our society. Discover them all below.

Our departments

Architectural Engineering Sciences (ARCH)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Ine Wouters
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Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry (CHIS)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Ken Broeckhoven
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Electricity (ELEC)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Yves Rolain
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Electrical Engineering and Energy Technology (ETEC)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Joeri Van Mierlo
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Electronics and Informatics (ETRO) 

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Johan Stiens
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Industrial Engineering (INDI)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. M. Runacres
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Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (HYDR)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Ann Van Griensven 
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Materials and Chemistry (MACH) 

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Hubert Rahier
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Applied Mechanics (MECH)

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Bram Vanderborght
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Mechanics of Materials and Constructions (MEMC) 

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Lincy Pyl
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Applied Physics and Photonics (TONA) 

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Heidi Ottevaere
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Mathematics & Data Science (WIDS) 

Department Chair: Prof. Dr. Kenny De Commer
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Our research groups

Circular construction and renovation, electrification of mobility, tapping into sustainable energy sources and developing sustainable materials, managing groundwater, appliances and making the internet more energy efficient and more efficient… These are all examples of cutting-edge research. For our research and innovation activities, the Faculty of Engineering also reaches out to other faculties. That is how we achieve the SDGs together. These are our research groups:

What's the difference between a department and a research group?

A Faculty consists of several departments. Each department within a Faculty is responsible for the educational and research activities within their specialisation.

Within each of these departments one or more research groups are active. These groups consist of an international team of researchers who are fully committed to socially relevant research within their specialisation. In this way, the educational offer can be permanently adapted to the latest scientific evolutions.

More on our faculty performance

VUB Techtransfer

We also want to make a positive contribution to society with our scientific research and associated innovations. Many of our successful research projects often lead to successful spin-offs. Discover below which spin-offs have been created at our Faculty. You can view the full portfolio here.