From Master's Thesis to Publication: VUB Students Explore Europe's Energy Security
Nine Master's students from Vrije Universiteit Brussel have published their research in the 30th Special Edition of European Studies Review. This milestone edition is dedicated to one of Europe's most pressing challenges: energy security.
The publication is the result of a pilot project in which students transformed their Master's thesis research into academic articles. Through this initiative, they gained first-hand experience of the academic publishing process while bringing their research to an international audience.
The special edition explores how Europe is accelerating its energy transition in a context of geopolitical uncertainty. The articles examine topics including the balance between sustainability, affordability and security of supply, the role of next-generation energy infrastructure in strengthening resilience, and the gap between political ambitions for strategic autonomy and economic realities.
Under the supervision of VUB professor Caroline Buts, Robin Vandendriessche and Marijke Van Vlasselaer, the students developed their Master's thesis research into publishable academic articles. The special edition exclusively features contributions from VUB students enrolled in Master's programmes within the Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School.
This pilot project demonstrates how education and research can reinforce one another while offering students a unique opportunity to share their research with a broader international audience.