VUB rector election: Jan Danckaert only candidate to succeed himself
"VUB must remain pioneering university at the heart of Europe"
Friday 27 February - Jan Danckaert is the only candidate to succeed himself as rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Candidates could submit their candidacy until this afternoon. Only the current rector did so. He had announced at the beginning of the year that he wanted to go for a second four-year term. Professor of Physics Jan Danckaert has led the university since 2022.
The rector election at the VUB will indeed take place, even if there is only one candidate. Jan Danckaert needs a majority of the votes cast behind him. All staff members - including from the UZ Brussel - and all students can cast their votes from Monday 20 April. The results will be announced on Tuesday 5 May.
A pioneering university
The policy plan proposed by Jan Danckaert for his second term is entitled 'VUB: a pioneering university in the heart of Europe.'
According to Jan Danckaert, the VUB has always played a pioneering role, both with pioneering research and successful new courses.
Jan Danckaert: "The VUB has always been pioneering. Even now that we are facing major cuts due to government measures, we absolutely must remain so. Our liberal-humanist values are our compass. We are committed to a strong European positioning, with science and free research as our foundation."
Physicist with a heart for education
Jan Danckaert (°1964) studied physics at UAntwerpen. He then became an assistant in Engineering Sciences at the VUB. In 1992, he obtained his PhD in non-linear optics.
After a period as a postdoctoral researcher at the FWO and two postdoctoral periods abroad, he became a full-time professor at the VUB in Sciences and (Bio-)Engineering Sciences in 2005.
In 2016, Jan Danckaert became Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs in the team of Rector Caroline Pauwels. As vice-rector, he successfully guided VUB through the institutional review in times of corona. The international panel of experts spoke highly of the VUB.
Agility
When former rector Caroline Pauwels (1964-2022) was unable to continue her tenure in early 2022 due to her illness, Jan Danckaert succeeded her as interim rector. He then made it in the early rector election against then dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences Dirk Devroey.
During his first four-year term, the VUB continued to grow substantially, both in education and research. In recent years, Jan Danckaert has focused on agility in uncertain times, on scaling up and interdisciplinary research groups, on welfare and on the European positioning of the VUB. Among other things, the VUB is a driving force of EUTOPIA, an alliance of ten European universities. Jan Danckaert is currently president of EUTOPIA.
From 2023 to 2025, he also chaired the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR).
Requests for interviews with Jan Danckaert go through VUB's press relations.
