"The VUB must remain a pioneering university, both in education and in research, while also focusing on a strong European positioning, with science and free inquiry as its foundation."
Jan Danckaert
Rector 2022–2026 and candidate Rector 2026–2030
The Candidate in Brief
- Key Scientific Expertise:
Professor of Physics with expertise in nonlinear complex systems, former Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs (2016–2022) and Rector of the VUB (since 2022). - Why I am a Candidate:
Taking on a leadership role is a great responsibility, one that requires constant self-reflection. At the same time, I am convinced that, with the experience I have built up over the past decade in policy positions, I can steer the university through these turbulent times. - Bio:
I grew up in Antwerp and studied physics at the University of Antwerp. I obtained my PhD in 1992 at the VUB, with a dissertation on nonlinear optics. In 2005, I was appointed full professor in the Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences and in the Faculty of Engineering. In 2016, Caroline Pauwels asked me to join her team as Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs. When, in early 2022, she was unable to continue her mandate due to illness, I succeeded her as interim Rector and subsequently, following an election, as Rector.
Download his policy plan (PDF only available in Dutch)
Check his election website
Five Questions for Jan Danckaert
What is your campaign theme?
Vrije Universiteit Brussel: a pioneering university at the heart of Europe. The title of my 2026–2030 policy plan captures it perfectly: we must continue to lead the way with new degree programmes and groundbreaking research, while fully embracing Europe and upholding European values.
Curious about his vision for the future of the VUB?
Read his policy plan (PDF only available in Dutch)
Check his election website
Five Questions for Jan Danckaert
What are your top three priorities as Rector and how do you plan to achieve them?
More than ever, I want to commit to science and to the defence of science — because today it is under fire worldwide from populist movements. I want to foster unifying leadership across the entire VUB community. I also want to strengthen our European positioning, with a special role for EUTOPIA, the alliance of ten European universities of which the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has been a driving force from the very beginning, and of which I currently serve as President.
And, of course, we must absolutely remain the pioneering university we have always been, in the fields of education, research and innovation.
Curious about his vision for the future of the VUB?
Read his policy plan (PDF only available in Dutch)
Check his election website
Five Questions for Jan Danckaert
What is your vision on research, education, and societal engagement?
Research: through continued targeted support and an interdisciplinary approach, we must further enhance our impact and societal relevance.
Education: we need to take a thorough look at our range of degree programmes, streamline where desirable and necessary, while at the same time daring to innovate, as we have done over the past decade with brand-new Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes.
Societal engagement: we are and will remain an urban engaged university, closely connected to our city and its residents, to society at large and to Europe. We must continue to leverage our location in Brussels, the capital of Europe, as a strategic asset. Our free-thinking humanist values are our compass in turbulent times.
Curious about his vision for the future of the VUB?
Read his policy plan (PDF only available in Dutch)
Check his election website
Five Questions for Jan Danckaert
How would you describe your leadership style, and how does it show in day-to-day management?
It is difficult to assess one’s own leadership style, but I believe I am a good listener, able to reflect thoroughly before making decisions on that basis — not half-heartedly, but decisively.
Curious about his vision for the future of the VUB?
Read his policy plan (PDF only available in Dutch)
Check his election website
Five Questions for Jan Danckaert
Why should staff and students vote for you?
I am the only candidate seeking to succeed myself, which may make things easier in some respects, yet not necessarily so. I want to feel broadly supported by all segments of the university community (the university and UZ Brussel) in order to begin this second term in a context of budget cuts and turbulent times.
For me, this is a collective story — one that involves a team and the entire VUB community. And I have the necessary experience, knowledge and expertise to ask for your trust.
Curious about his vision for the future of the VUB?
Read his policy plan (PDF only available in Dutch)
Check his election website
