Nobel Prize for Belgian physicist Francis Halzen: VUB and ULB look back on nearly 30 years of groundbreaking research into the universe
Press invitation – Wednesday 18 November 2026, 10.15 am – VUB Etterbeek campus, Building G, first floor, Jean Sacton Hall
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the Belgian physicist Francis Halzen for his pioneering work on IceCube, a giant particle detector deep beneath the ice of the South Pole. Scientists from Brussels have also been playing a key role for almost 30 years in this international experiment, which has opened up a completely new window onto the universe. On Wednesday 18 November, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) are inviting journalists to a press conference on Belgium’s contribution to IceCube, the discoveries made possible by the experiment, and the future of the research.
IceCube uses more than 5,000 sensors to search deep within the Antarctic ice for neutrinos: almost elusive particles that tell us more about the most extreme phenomena in the universe. The joint Interuniversity Institute for High Energies (IIHE) of the VUB and ULB has been involved in the project since 1998.
During the press conference, the researchers will look back on their contribution to the Nobel Prize-winning experiment and explain what new discoveries may be possible in the future. Journalists will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with the researchers.
Programme
- 10.15 am: Welcome with coffee
- 10.30 am: Francis Halzen and the origins of IceCube in Belgium – Prof. Daniel Bertrand (ULB) and Prof. Catherine De Clercq (VUB)
- 10.45 am: IceCube: a new window on the universe – Prof. Nick van Eijndhoven (VUB)
- 11.00 am: Question and answer session
- 11.30 am: The IIHE’s key contributions to IceCube – Prof. Juan Antonio Aguilar (ULB)
- 11.45 am: The future of research into neutrinos and astroparticle physics – Prof. Krijn de Vries (VUB) and Prof. Simona Toscano (ULB)
- 12.00: Question and answer session
- 12.30 pm: Sandwich lunch
Are you a journalist and would you like to attend the press conference? Please confirm your attendance via presse@ulb.be.
Tineke Sonck
