{ "title": "Nobel Prize for Belgian physicist Francis Halzen: VUB and ULB look back on nearly 30 years of groundbreaking research into the universe", "modified_at": "2026-11-12 11:43:05", "published_at": "2026-11-12 12:09:00", "url": "https://press.vub.ac.be/nobel-prize-for-belgian-physicist-francis-halzen-vub-and-ulb-look-back-on-nearly-30-years-of-groundbreaking-research-into-the-universe", "short_url": "http://prez.ly/BOpe", "culture": "en", "language": "EN", "subtitle": "Press invitation \u2013 Wednesday 18 November 2026, 10.15 am \u2013 VUB Etterbeek campus, Building G, first floor, Jean Sacton Hall", "slug": "nobel-prize-for-belgian-physicist-francis-halzen-vub-and-ulb-look-back-on-nearly-30-years-of-groundbreaking-research-into-the-universe", "body": "

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

Are you a journalist and would you like to attend the press conference? Please confirm your attendance via presse@ulb.be.

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\"Tineke
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\n Tineke Sonck\n Woordvoerder\n \n
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