SST/EPL Ecole polytechnique de Louvain (EPL)
SST/IMMC Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering (iMMC)
SST/IMMC/IMAP Materials and process engineering (IMAP)
Education
PhD in applied sciences, UCLouvain, March 1998
Master in philosophy, UCLouvain, September 1996
Physics engineering (Ingénieur civil physicien), UCLouvain, June 1994
Academic career
2023 - 27 Member of WEL Research Institute
2021 - 22 Invited Professor KU Leuven, sabbatical leave
2019 - 24 Senior advisor to UCLouvain President for corporate relations
2015 - 21 Head of the Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering, UCLouvain
2014 - 15 Vice Dean of Louvain School of Engineering / Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain, UCLouvain
2012 - Ordinary Professor (Professeur ordinaire) UCLouvain
2009 - 12 Technical vice president of the Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering
2007 - 12 Professor (Professeur) UCLouvain
2004 - 10 Head of the Division of Materials and Process Engineering (IMAP)
2003 - 07 Associate Professor UCLouvain (Chargé de cours), Department of Materials Science and Processes
2000 - 02 Assistant Professor UCLouvain (Chargé de cours temporaire à temps plein)
1998 - 00 Post-Doctorate fellow, Harvard University, Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences
1994 - 98 Ph. D. Student, UCLouvain, Department of Materials Science and Processes
Awards, honors and fellowships
Grande Médaille 2023 de la SF2M, Société Française de Métallurgie et de Matériaux
Francqui Chair 2015 from Université de Liège
Euromech Fellow 2015 from European Mechanics Society
Grand Prix ALCAN of the French academy of science 2011
FEMS lecturer, Federation of European Materials Societies, 2002 – 2003
Chargé de Recherches au FNRS, Fonds National de
Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, 1998-2000
Fellow of BAEF, Belgian American Educational Foundation Inc., 1998 - 99
Research fellow FNRS, Belgium, 1996 – 1998; Research fellow UCL, 1994 - 96
Main responsibilities in teaching, research and service
Teaching at the Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain, UCLouvain, bachelor and master courses on physics, materials science, mechanics of materials, sustainable development
Chair of UCLouvain INEO program to entrepreneurship (ranked 2nd in the world, ex-CPME, 2022-)
Vice president of UCLouvain faculty member representation CORA (2010-13)
Member of the scientific council of UCLouvain (2012-15) and of academic council of UCLouvain (2010-13 and 2015-18)
External Examiner, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, UCD, Dublin (2017-19)
External Advisory Board for Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium (2022-26)
Member of the Ecole Polytechnique Council of Education and Research, Paris
Chairman of selection committee for faculty positions at UPC Barcelona (Serra Hunter Foundation) (2018)
Research in mechanics of materials and materials science
Supervisor or co-supervisor of 58 PhDs (48 accomplished) and 30 post-docs since 2000 among which 15 are now faculty members or equivalent (D. Fabrègue, X. Morelle, INSA Lyon; S. Godet, ULB Brussels; S. Gravier, R. Daudin, UGrenoble Alpes; C. Tekoglu, TOBB UAnkara; C. Brugger, Arts & Métiers Paris Tech; A. Boé, ULille1; A. Simar, UCLouvain; H. Idrissi, UCLouvain; L. Brassart, U. Oxford; P. Baral, M. Rusinowicz, Ecole Mines St Etienne, F. Van Loock, TUEindhoven; Z. Xiong, Beijing Inst Tech)
Promotor or co-promotor of >50 research projects since 2000: e.g. ERC advanced grant 23-28, WELT project 23-27, coordination of Interuniversity Attraction Pole (IAP) project 12-17.
Scientific expert or member of selection committees for ERC starting grant panel PE8 (2014-20), CNRS, FNRAE, EDF, CEA, ONERA (FR), NWO & FOM (NL), NSERC (CA), SNF (SW), Czech Science Foundation
Belgian representative for the Mirror group of the ESTEP platform, European Commission (2010-15)
Chair of scientific council of SCK CEN (Belgian nuclear research center) (2014-26) (member 2010-13)
Member of the Euratom Scientific and Technical Committee (2019-23, 2024-28)
Member of Advisory Group of Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology and Policy OECD (2021-)
Member of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgian nuclear safety agency FANC regarding the issue of cracks inside the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 nuclear reactors (2012-2015)
Chair of the Board of the research centre CERTECH, Belgium (2013-16)
Member of the Board of the Von Karman institute (2018-) & vice-chair (2019-), of CEI Louvain (2020-23), of Centre Terre et Pierre, Tournai (2020-) & vice-chair (2021-)
Co-responsible for initiating in 2006 the pole of competitiveness MECATECH for the Wallonia Region
Scientific communication and dissemination
1 chapter in an encyclopedia; 4 chapters in a multi-authors book
> 275 papers in international journals with peer review
> 150 papers in proceedings of international conferences with peer review
> 320 additional presentations in international conferences with peer review (only abstracts)
> 40 invited lectures since 1999 among which 10 plenary’s and 26 keynote’s
6 patents
h-factor Scopus = 64; h-factor Google = 73
Member of the editorial advisory board of Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, European Journal of Mechanics A/Solids and of Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Circular Materials and Chemistry
Reviewer activity measured by Publons/WoS, ~50 reviews per year
Co-organizer of Euromech Colloquium 463, Groningen, 2005; of ductile fracture workshop at CFRAC2011, 2011 Barcelona; workshop at ICMM2, 2011, Paris; Mini-colloquium Nanostructures: deformation and properties in JMC13 (Journées de la Matière Condensée), Montpellier, 2012; MRS fall meeting 2013 Acta Materialia Gold medal symposium, Boston; symposium ICF15 Atlanta (2023); several symposia (>7) during ESMC and EMMC conferences.
Member of the “Euromech Mechanics of Materials Conference Committee” (2004-2014)
Member of many advisory scientific committees of international conferences
Regular invitations on TV, radio and print media to comment on the energy transition and nuclear technology
Languages
French mother tongue - English fluent - Dutch intermediate
Civil status
Born on March 26 1971,
Belgian and
Married to Catherine Adant, February 23 1971, Manager of Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park
Three children: Margaux, March 16 1997 - Juliette, October 12 1999 - Tanguy, May 7 2002
Clos de
Phone (+32) 10 475134 (+32) 476 283 997
| Année | Libellé | Établissement |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Docteur en sciences appliquées | UCLouvain | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
| 1996 | License en philosopie | UCLouvain | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
| 1994 | Ingénieur civil - orientation sciences des matériaux | UCLouvain | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
| 1991 | Candidat ingénieur civil | UCLouvain | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
| 1991 | Bachelier en philosophie (programme spécial) | UCLouvain | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
Unités d'enseignement pour 2026
| Libellé | Code |
|---|---|
| Stratégies publiques de mise en oeuvre de politiques de développement durable | LENVI2010 |
| Physique I | LEPL1201 |
| Projet 4 (en chimie et physique) | LEPL1505 |
| Devenir tutrice, tuteur | LEPL2351 |
| Devenir tuteur, tutrice | LEPL2352 |
| Mécanique des fluides et des solides | LFYKI1301 |
| Deformation and fracture of materials | LMAPR2481 |
| Durability of materials | LMAPR2483 |