In hun zoektocht naar kennis, voeden de jongeren onderweg een transdisciplinair team van kennismakers. Biologen, filosofen, historici, sociologen, dansers, dichters, economen, … 16 experten van uiteenlopende disciplines leren uit het dromen en denken van de jongeren, en vullen aan met persoonlijke en diverse inzichten, reflecties en kennisbronnen. Maak hier kennis met het team.
Koen Vanmechelen
An internationally renowned artist, working across a multitude of disciplines, Koen Vanmechelen (1965) is one of the most versatile thinkers of these times. He is situated at the confluence of art, science, philosophy and community. As an eternal migrant, he travels the world looking for answers to fundamental questions that touch on issues which are both timeless and acutely relevant today: identity, diversity, globalisation and human rights. He weaves those answers – always works in progress – into enigmatic artworks and projects. His quests and interdisciplinary projects invite other migrants to work together and create an awareness and a movement of communities around the world. Together, they reflect on the global legacy of the human animal and explore the different ways we choose to live and evolve together. In 2010, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hasselt and in 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Golden Nica Hybrid Art Award (Linz) and Global Artist’s Award (Venice). So far, his work has been shown in more than 80 solo shows and 220 group exhibitions worldwide. As a speaker in high demand, he was invited to address the World Economic Forum (2008) and various TED conferences.
Caroline Pauwels
Prof. Dr. Caroline Pauwels is rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She studies philosophy and communication science and is since 1989 connected to the communication science department, where she when elected rector passed on her chairmanship of the department. She received her doctorate in 1995 for a study that focused on the audiovisual policy of the European Union (EU). In addition to this, she specialized in European and national problematics of media policy and the economy of the media sector. From 2000 until 2016, Caroline Pauwels was director of the research center SMIT, that specializes in the study of informatics- and communication technologies. The center counts around 70 researchers and is part of iMinds since 2004 and fused with IMEC in 2016. Within iMinds Caroline Pauwels lead the Digital Society Department that brings together research groups from Ghent, Leuven and Brussels. In 2014, she received the Francqui chair of Ghent University and between 2012 and 2016 she owned the Jean Monnet Chair. In addition, she sits or served on several boards of directors, functioned until recently as a government commissioner at VRT and is a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts.
Pieter Ballon
Pieter Ballon is a professor affiliated to the VUB and director of the researchgroup SMIT (Studies in Media, Innovation and Technology). He is doctor in communication science and has a master’s degree in modern history. He wrote amongst others ‘De Stad is een Boek: over slimme steden, technologie en literatuur’ and ‘Smart Cities: Hoe technologie onze steden leefbaar houdt en slimmer maakt’.
Lynn Tytgat
Lynn Tytgat is coordinator of weKONEKT.brussels, an initiative in which the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) actively contribute to the development of a free, connected and resilient urban community. In this context, Lynn works together closely with the artscene and the diplomatic world to enforce the synergies between education, science and art. Lynn Tytgat obtained her Master's degrees in Literature and Theater Studies and International and European Law at the VUB. She also followed a management course at Solvay Brussels School. Lynn build out het diplomatic and international career in New York, Paris and Brussels, where she amongst others worked for UNESCO, United Nations University and the permanent representation of Belgium at the United Nations. Today, she works for the rectorate of Caroline Pauwels and the Strategy and Policy Unit of the VUB.
Karen Celis
Karen Celis is as a research professor affiliated to the department of Political Science of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and is co-president of the RHEA expertise center for Gender, Diversity, Intersectionality. She conducts theoretical and empirical research (qualitative and comparative) on the political representation of groups (women, ethnic minorities, class, LGBTQ and age groups) and intersectionality. In her recent research, she focusses on the quality of political representation from the perspective of disadvantaged groups. She is autor of ‘De Macht van het Geslacht (with Petra Meier, Acco, 2006) and co-editor of ‘Gezien, Gehoord, Vertegenwoordigd? Diversiteit in de Belgische Politiek’. She is co-editor of The Oxford Handbook on Gender and Politics (Oxford University Press, 2013); Gender, Conservatism and Representation (ECPR Press, 2014); of the bookseries Gender and Comparative Politics (Routledge) and is founding editor of the European Journal of Politics and Gender (Policy Press). In 2020, she published Feminist Democratic Representation (with Sarah Childs, Oxford University Press).
Karine Van Doninck
Karine Van Doninck is an evolutionary biologist, inspired by science and art but also by urban development, dedicated to push the frontiers of knowledge, while exploring and blurring the boundaries between disciplines. As a full professor in biology at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Van Doninck combines twin passions of research and education. In 2020, she founded the research unit of Molecular Biology and Evolution at ULB with her postdoctoral researcher Emilien Nicolas. Central to her research are micro-organisms called bdelloid rotifers. For her research, she received by the award of a European Research Council (ERC Consolidator) grant in 2017 and a ESA project, both to more deeply study and understand rotifers. Two experiments have already been launched by SpaceX to the ISS. Besides her dedication to scientific research and education, Karine Van Doninck explores the interplay between art & science. By inviting artists in her laboratory, her scientific results transcend the academic journals, creating new categories of thought. This goes beyond the University, as Karine Van Doninck also invites artists in her private urban project DRUUM. Striving for a more sustainable future, Karine Van Doninck is co-founder of e-biom and chairs the board of DUSS (Developing Urban Sustainable Society).
