55 Notable alumni of Free University of Brussels – VUB
Updated: May 27, 2026 EliteDegrees
Free University of Brussels – VUB is ranked #428 in the world and #7 in Belgium by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 55 notable alumni from Free University of Brussels – VUB sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Free University of Brussels – VUB won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Tim Trachet
1958-. (aged 68)
journalist
Tim Trachet is a Belgian writer, publicist, journalist and skeptic. He studied mathematics, astronomy and philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and is a reporter at the VRT, where he produces history television documentaries.
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2. Frank Pattyn
1966-. (aged 60)
glaciologist
researcher
Frank Jean-Marie Léon Pattyn is a Belgian glaciologist and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles. He is best known for developing ice-sheet models and leading model intercomparisons.
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3. Gerard Bodifee
1946-. (aged 80)
astrophysicist
philosopher
chemist
columnist
Gerard Bodifee is a Belgian astrophysicist, writer, and Christian philosopher.
4. Diederik Aerts
1953-. (aged 73)
physicist
theoretical physicist
Diederik Aerts is a Belgian theoretical physicist, professor at Brussels Free University (Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB) and founding director of the Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies (CLEA). He is best known for his work in quantum foundations and quantum cognition.
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5. Sébastien Godefroid
1971-. (aged 55)
sailor
Sébastien "Sebbe" Godefroid is a Belgian sailor.
6. Kathleen Smet
1970-. (aged 56)
triathlete
Kathleen Smet is a Belgian former triathlete, becoming European champion in 2000 and 2002. She competed in Olympic and Long Distance Triathlons.
7. Stéphane Ginsburgh
1969-. (aged 57)
pianist
Stéphane Ginsburgh is a Belgian pianist of Austrian origin. He is a piano professor at the Geneva University of Music.
8. Max Wexler
1870-1917 (aged 47)
translator
journalist
politician
accountant
Max Wexler was a Romanian socialist activist and journalist, regarded as one of the main Marxist theorist of the early Romanian workers' movement.
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9. Barbara Vanderlinden
1965-. (aged 61)
art historian
curator
Barbara Vanderlinden is a curator, writer, and art historian with more than 30 years of international experience. She holds master’s degrees in philosophy and art. Emerging in the 1990s, she was part of a generation of curators who redefined the exhibition as a critical, experimental, and historiographic form. Her work examines how art is narrated, first through exhibitions as discursive...
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10. Antoon Van den Braembussche
1946-. (aged 80)
philosopher
Antoon A.A. Van den Braembussche is a Flemish Philosopher of Culture, Emeritus Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a poet. He started as a poet, became a professor in the philosophy of history, and later specialized in art philosophy.
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11. Bob Coecke
1968-. (aged 58)
computer scientist
physicist
university teacher
mathematician
Bob Coecke is a Belgian theoretical physicist and logician who is Chief Scientist at quantum computing company Quantinuum. He was Professor of Quantum foundations, Logics, and Structures at Oxford University until 2020. He is also Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
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12. Hans Bonte
1962-. (aged 64)
politician
Hans Bonte is a Belgian politician and has been a federal representative since 1995 (for the constituency of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde). He is a member of Vooruit (formerly SP.A), the Flemish social-democratic party.
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13. János Bóka
1978-. (aged 48)
lawyer
politician
János Bóka is a Hungarian politician serving as minister for European Union affairs since 2023. He previously worked as a professor at the National University of Public Service, the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, and the Faculty of Law and Public Administration of the University of Szeged. He is a former member of the Alliance of...
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14. Sathyabhama Das Biju
1963-. (aged 63)
conservationist
environmentalist
herpetologist
botanist
Sathyabhama Das Biju is an Indian amphibian biologist, wildlife conservationist and heads the Systematics Lab at the University of Delhi, Department of Environmental Studies and is currently in Harvard University as a Radcliffe Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. He is dubbed as the "Frogman of India" by media for his passion for frogs and for bringing fresh...
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15. Jeton Kelmendi
1978-. (aged 48)
playwright
journalist
opinion journalist
university teacher
writer
Jeton Kelmendi is an academic, Albanian journalist, poet, translator, university professor and political analyst.
16. Wouter De Vriendt
1977-. (aged 49)
politician
Wouter De Vriendt is a Belgian politician, and member of Groen.
17. Jorre Verstraeten
1997-. (aged 29)
judoka
Jorre Verstraeten is a Belgian judoka. He won one of the bronze medals in the men's 60 kg event at the European Judo Championships in 2020 and 2022. He also won one of the bronze medals in the men's 60 kg event at the 2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus.
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18. Peter Rousseeuw
1956-. (aged 70)
university teacher
statistician
Peter J. Rousseeuw is a Belgian statistician known for his work on robust statistics and cluster analysis. He obtained his PhD in 1981 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, following research carried out at the ETH in Zurich, which led to a book on influence functions. Later he was professor at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, at the University...
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19. Elke Sleurs
1968-. (aged 58)
gynecologist
politician
Elke Sleurs is a Belgian politician and is affiliated with the N-VA.
20. Elke Van den Brandt
1980-. (aged 46)
politician
Elke Van den Brandt is a Belgian green politician and a member of Groen (the Green party). She has been the Minister of Mobility, Public Works, and Road Safety within the Brussels-Capital Region government since July 18, 2019.
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21. Dirk Van Tichelt
1984-. (aged 42)
judoka
Dirk Van Tichelt is a Belgian judoka.
22. Jürgen Roelandts
1985-. (aged 41)
sport cyclist
Jürgen Roelandts is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020, for the Lotto–Soudal, BMC Racing Team and Movistar Team squads. He now works as a directeur sportif for his final professional team, Movistar Team.
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23. Adélaïde Charlier
2000-. (aged 26)
climate activist
Adelaide Charlier is a Belgian activist fighting for climate and social justice. She co-founded the Youth for Climate movement in Belgium. She is mainly known for her involvement in the fight against climate change. Inspired by the actions of Greta Thunberg, she is one of the leading figures, alongside Kyra Gantois and Anuna De Wever, of the first school strikes...
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24. Jean-Jacques De Gucht
1983-. (aged 43)
politician
Jean-Jacques De Gucht is a Flemish politician for Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats). He was elected to the Belgian Senate by the Dutch electoral college in the 2007 Belgian federal election, which took place on 10 June 2007.
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25. Nadia Sminate
1981-. (aged 45)
politician
Nadia Sminate is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to the N-VA. She was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in 2010.
26. Francis Heylighen
1960-. (aged 66)
university teacher
researcher
Francis Paul Heylighen is a Belgian cyberneticist investigating the emergence and evolution of intelligent organization. He presently works as a research professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (the Dutch-speaking Free University of Brussels), where he directs the transdisciplinary "Center Leo Apostel" and the research group on "Evolution, Complexity and Cognition". He is best known for his work on the Principia...
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27. Bruno Tobback
1969-. (aged 57)
politician
Bruno Tobback is the former president of the Flemish socialist party Vooruit from 2011 to 2015. He was Minister of Environment and Pensions in the Belgian federal government from 2004 until 2007. He is the son of a former minister and former mayor of Leuven Louis Tobback. He is a Licentiate in Law (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1992) and a Licentiate...
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28. Kieran Moore
physician
Kieran Michael Moore is a Canadian physician and public servant who serves as the current chief medical officer of health of Ontario. Prior to his appointment, he served as the medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington from 2017 to 2021.
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29. Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck
1944-. (aged 82)
politician
Anne-Marie Cécile J. "Annemie" Neyts-Uyttebroeck is a Belgian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament for Flanders with Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats), member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, where she sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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30. Pattie Maes
1961-. (aged 65)
computer scientist
university teacher
Pattie Maes is a Belgian scientist. She is a professor in MIT's program in Media Arts and Sciences. She founded and directed the MIT Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces Group. Previously, she founded and ran the Software Agents group. She served for several years as both the head and associate head of the Media Lab's academic program. Prior to joining the...
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31. Patrick Dewael
1955-. (aged 71)
lawyer
politician
Patrick Yvonne Hugo Dewael is a liberal Belgian politician. A member of Anders(formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats), he served as Minister-President of Flanders from 1999 to 2003.
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32. Caroline Désir
1976-. (aged 50)
jurist
politician
Caroline Désir is a Belgian politician of the Socialist Party serving as a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2024. She was a member of the Senate from 2009 to 2013 and a member of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region from 2009 to 2019, and served as minister of education in the government of the French Community from...
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33. Eva De Bleeker
1974-. (aged 52)
politician
Eva De Bleeker is a Belgian politician who served as leader of the liberal party Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats) from 2024 to 2025. She has been a member of the Flemish Parliament since 2024. From 2020 to 2022, she served as secretary of state for budget and consumer protection. She served as schepen of Hoeilaart from 2013...
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34. Frank Vanhecke
1959-. (aged 67)
politician
Frank Arthur Hyppolite Vanhecke is a Belgian politician. Vanhecke started his career in Belgian politics as a student by joining the Jong Studentenverbond and later the Nationalistische Studentenvereniging. He gave up his membership of the Volksunie in 1977 after it acceded to a much-debated package of federal reforms. Vanhecke subsequently joined the Vlaams Nationale Partij, the predecessor of the Vlaams...
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35. Tinne Van der Straeten
1978-. (aged 48)
lawyer
politician
Tinne Van der Straeten is a Belgian politician of the Groen party who served as Minister of Energy in the government of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo from October 2020 until February 2025.
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36. Steven Laureys
1968-. (aged 58)
author
university teacher
neuroscientist
neurologist
physician writer
Steven Laureys is a Belgian neurologist. He is principally known as a clinician and researcher in the field of neurology of consciousness.
37. Marcel Vanthilt
1957-. (aged 69)
performing artist
actor
singer
creator
Marcel Céline Gerard Edgard Vanthilt is a Belgian singer and television presenter.
38. Wouter Beke
1974-. (aged 52)
politician
political scientist
Wouter Beke is a Belgian politician and a member of the CD&V. He was reelected as a member of the Belgian Senate in 2007. In 2014 he became a member of the Belgian Federal House of Representatives and was reelected in 2019. In July 2019 he succeeded Kris Peeters as Federal Minister for Work, Economy and Consumer affairs. He left...
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39. Jef Geeraerts
1930-2015 (aged 85)
writer
Jozef Adriaan Anna Geeraerts, better known as Jef Geeraerts, was a Belgian writer.
40. Louis Tobback
1938-. (aged 88)
politician
Louis Marie Joseph Tobback is a Belgian politician. Tobback is a Flemish social democrat and member of the political party SP.A. He was the mayor of Leuven (1995–2018) He graduated in Romance philology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is the father of Bruno Tobback, the former president of the Flemish socialist party Different Socialist Party (SP.A).
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41. Emma Meesseman
1993-. (aged 33)
basketball player
Emma Meesseman is a Belgian professional basketball player for New York Liberty of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League and EuroLeague Women. After playing basketball in Belgium, Meesseman was drafted by the Washington Mystics with the 19th overall pick in the second round of the 2013 WNBA draft. She has also...
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42. Zuhal Demir
1980-. (aged 46)
lawyer
politician
Zuhal Demir is a Belgian lawyer and politician affiliated with the N-VA. Demir was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in 2010 and served there until 2017. She served as Secretary of State for Poverty Reduction in the Belgian Government (2017–2018). She then served as the Flemish minister for Justice and Enforcement, Environment, Energy and Tourism...
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43. Jan Jambon
1960-. (aged 66)
politician
Johan "Jan" Martin Jozef Jambon is a Belgian businessman and politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) who has been serving as a Deputy Prime Minister and as the Minister of Finance, Pensions, National Lottery and Federal Culture Institutions in the De Wever Government since February 2025. Before that, he served as Minister-President of Flanders from 2019 to 2024. He...
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44. Danira Boukhriss
1990-. (aged 36)
journalist
television presenter
Danira Boukhriss Terkessidis is a Flemish television presenter and newscaster.
45. Sammy Mahdi
1988-. (aged 38)
politician
Sammy Mahdi is a Belgian Christian-Democrat politician, a member and the president of CD&V, who in March 2020 became a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.
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46. Ingrid Daubechies
1954-. (aged 72)
university teacher
mathematician
physicist
Baroness Ingrid Daubechies is a Belgian-American physicist and mathematician at Duke University. She is best known for her work with wavelets in image compression.
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47. Jean Bourgain
1954-2018 (aged 64)
mathematician
university teacher
Jean Louis, baron Bourgain was a Belgian mathematician. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1994 in recognition of his work on several core topics of mathematical analysis such as the geometry of Banach spaces, harmonic analysis, ergodic theory and nonlinear partial differential equations from mathematical physics.
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48. Marco Formentini
1930-2021 (aged 91)
politician
Marco Formentini was an Italian politician from the Northern League, then for the Democrats and finally for The Daisy. During his youth, he was a member of the Italian Socialist Party.
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49. Sihame El Kaouakibi
1986-. (aged 40)
social entrepreneur
writer
politician
Sihame El Kaouakibi is a former Belgian politician and the founder of the Let's Go Urban project. In 2021, web|url=https://www.thebulletin.be/welovebxl-founder-investigated-misuse-subsidies%7Ctitle=WeLoveBXL founder investigated for misuse of subsidies|date=6 April 2021|website=The Bulletin}}</ref> Almost 1 million euro is claimed to have been used for her own profit.
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50. Karel De Gucht
1954-. (aged 72)
jurist
lawyer
diplomat
politician
Karel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht is a Belgian politician who was the European Commissioner for Trade from February 2010 until 31 October 2014. Previously, he served as Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2009 and as the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response from 2009 to 2010.
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51. Maggie De Block
1962-. (aged 64)
general practitioner
politician
Maggie Celine Louise De Block is a Belgian politician. A member of Anders (formerly Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats), she has chaired her party's group in the Chamber of Representatives since 2020.
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52. Alexander De Croo
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
Alexander De Croo is a Belgian politician and businessman who serves as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He was Prime Minister of Belgium from 2020 to 2025. Previously from 2012 to 2020, De Croo served as deputy prime minister in the governments of Elio Di Rupo, Charles Michel, and Sophie Wilmès. During his tenure as deputy prime...
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53. Axelle Red
1968-. (aged 58)
actor
singer
composer
Fabienne Demal, better known by her stage name Axelle Red, is a Belgian singer-songwriter. She has released 12 albums, including Sans plus attendre, À Tâtons, Toujours Moi and Jardin Secret. She is best known for her 1993 single "Sensualité", a hit in France in 1994.
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54. Marleen Temmerman
1953-. (aged 73)
gynecologist
university teacher
politician
obstetrician
physician
Marleen Temmerman is a Belgian gynaecologist, professor and former senator, currently heading the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya.
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55. Claude Coppens
1936-. (aged 90)
composer
pianist
Claude Coppens is a Belgian pianist and composer.