Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

located in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the region was incorporated into the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

after the fall of

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental ...

. In that same year, he founded two other universities for the southern provinces as well, alongside Ghent University:

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301� ...

and State University of Leuven. After the

Belgian revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. ...

of 1830, the newly formed Belgian state began to administer Ghent University. In 1930, UGent became the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium. Previously,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

(and, even earlier, Latin) had been the standard academic language in what was ''Université de Gand''. In 1991, it was granted major autonomy and changed its name accordingly from ''State University of Ghent'' ( nl, Rijksuniversiteit Gent, abbreviated as ''RUG'') to its current designation. Located in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

, Ghent is one of the largest Belgian universities, consisting of 44,000 students and 9,000 staff members. The university also supports the

Ghent University Library Ghent University Library ( nl, Universiteitsbibliotheek Gent) is located in the city of Ghent, Belgium. It serves the university community of students and scholarly researchers. History After Ghent University was founded in 1817, books confiscated ...

(including the famous Boekentoren) and the Ghent University Hospital, which is one of the biggest hospitals in Belgium. In addition to satellite campuses elsewhere in Flanders and a Global Campus in Songdo, South Korea, Ghent University maintains many inter-university partnerships and programs both inside and outside of Europe. An avowedly research-driven and socially minded university, UGent consistently rates among the top 100 universities in the world. It is one of the greatest beneficiaries of funding from the Flemish research council. It was also among the Top 30 recipients of major research grants awarded by the

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientif ...

under the funding framework Horizon 2020 (2014–2020).

History

Foundation in the 19th century

Ghent was one of the largest and most important cities of Europe in the medieval period. The university in Ghent was opened on 9 October 1817, with JC van Rotterdam as the first

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. The foundation of universities in Ghent, Liege, and Leuven that year – by the Dutch King William I – was part of a larger policy to stimulate academic lag across the southern provinces of the

(which would later become Belgium). The original four faculties comprised Humanities (Letters), Law, Medicine, and Science, with the language of instruction being

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

. In the first year, it had 190 students and 16 professors. Onderzoek_farmacie_Ugent

In the wake of the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. ...

, of 1830, the number of students declined, having peaked at 414. Although the faculties of humanities and science were dissolved from the university, they were restored five years later, in 1835. At this time, French also became the language of instruction, taking the place of Latin. Ghent University played a role in the foundation of modern organic chemistry. Friedrich August Kekulé unraveled the structure of benzene at Ghent and

Adolf von Baeyer Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer (; 31 October 1835 – 20 August 1917) was a German chemist who synthesised indigo and developed a nomenclature for cyclic compounds (that was subsequently extended and adopted as part of the IUPAC or ...

(Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer), a student of August Kekulé, made contributions to organic chemistry. In 1882, Sidonie Verhelst became the first female student at Ghent University, in science and pharmacology. 2021_Boekentoren_-_University_Library_of_Ghent

2021_Boekentoren_-_University_Library_of_Ghent

Developments in the 20th century

In 1903, the Flemish politician Lodewijk De Raet led a successful campaign to begin instruction in Dutch, and the first courses were begun in 1906. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the occupying German administration conducted '' Flamenpolitik'' and turned Ghent University into the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium. A Flemish Institute (''Vlaemsche Hoogeschool''), commonly known as Von Bissing University, was founded in 1916 but was disestablished after the war and French language was fully reinstated. In 1923, Cabinet Minister

Pierre Nolf Pierre Nolf (Ypres, 26 July 1873 – Brussels, 14 September 1953) was a Belgian scientist and politician. In 1940, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, but the prize was not granted that year. In 1940 he received the ...

put forward a motion to definitively establish the university as a Dutch-speaking university, and this was realized in 1930. August Vermeylen served as the first rector of a Dutch-language university in Belgium. Ghent University 1910 - Studentenvereniging Société Académique d'Histoire

Ghent University 1910 - Studentenvereniging Société Académique d'Histoire

In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the German administration of the university attempted to create a German orientation, removing faculty members and installing loyal activists. In the postwar period, Ghent University became a much larger institution, following government policy of democratizing higher education in Flanders during the 1950s and 1960s. By 1953, there were more than 3,000 students, and by 1969 more than 11,500. The number of faculties increased to eleven, starting with Applied Sciences in 1957. It was followed by Economics and Veterinary Medicine in 1968, Psychology and Pedagogy, as well as Bioengineering, in 1969, and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In the 1960s, there were several student demonstrations at Ghent University, notably around the Blandijn site, which houses the Faculty of Arts & Philosophy. The most severe of demonstrations took place in 1969 in the wake of May 1968.

Since the end of the Cold War

In 1991, the university officially changed its name from ''Rijksuniversiteit Gent'' (RUG) to ''Universiteit Gent'' (UGent), following an increased grant of autonomy by the government of the Flemish Community. The faculty of

Politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

and

Social Sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...

is the most recent addition, in 1992. Ugent 675

Academic profile

Organisation and structure

Ghent University consists of eleven faculties with over 130 individual departments. In addition, the university maintains the Zwijnaarde science park and Greenbridge science park.

List of faculties

* Faculty of Arts and Philosophy * Faculty of Bio-science Engineering * Faculty of Law * Faculty of Sciences * Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences * Faculty of Engineering and Architecture * Faculty of Economics and Business Administration * Faculty of Veterinary Medicine * Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences * Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences * Faculty of Political and Social Sciences

Library

Standing on the Blandijnberg, the Boekentoren houses the

, which contains nearly 3 million volumes. The university library has joined the

Google Books Library Project Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

. Among other notable collections, it preserves

Papyrus 30 Papyrus 30 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓30, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Pauline epistles, it contains only 1 Thess 4:12-5:18. 25-28; 2 Thess 1:1-2; 2:1.9-11. The manus ...

, an early manuscript of the Greek New Testament. The university is also a partner in the development of De Krook, the new public library and media center in the center of Ghent, opened in 2017. Ugent boekentoren 675

Reputation & rankings

Ghent University consistently ranks among the top 100 universities in the world and, alongside the Catholic University of Leuven, the best in Belgium. In 2017, it was ranked, globally, 69th by the

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

(or Shanghai ranking) and 125th by ''

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for th ...

''. For 2021, Ghent University has been ranked, worldwide, 85th by U.S. News & World Report and 96th by ''

Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The Thes''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...

''.

International relations

The university maintains many partnerships within Belgium, across Europe, and throughout the world. Inside Belgium, Ghent University supports the

Belgian Co-ordinated Collections of Micro-organisms The Belgian Co-ordinated Collections of Micro-organisms (BCCM) is a Belgian government funded consortium of seven scientific institutions, who manage and exploit a collection of microbial and genetic resources. The consortium comprises more than 26 ...

and the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie. Within Europe, it is a member of the

Santander Network The SGroup - Universities in Europe network (SGroup), previously called Santander, is a non-profit association of universities incorporated in Spain. It was founded in 1992. Members ;Armenia * Yerevan State Medical University - Associate Membe ...

, the Enlight (previously the U4) Network, and the 3i University Network. It also participates in the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research. In addition, the university cooperates with numerous universities for the

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

and Erasmus Mundus programs; within the framework of the latter, it heads the International Master of Science in Rural Development and the International Master of Science in Soils and Global Change (IMSOGLO). Beyond Europe, Ghent University conducts exchange programs on all six continents. Frameworks include its campus in South Korea and its 3C Partnership.

Associated contributions and innovations

Ghent University has been instrumental in the development of

COinS A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...

and Unipept.

Gallery

File:Rommelaere Instituut 2010PM 0261 21H7267.JPG, Rommelaere Instituut File:Faculteit Rechtsgeleerdheid 2010PM 1120 21H8919.JPG, Law School File:Rectoraat 2010PM 0217 21H7220.JPG, Rectorate File:Plantentuin 2010PM 1080 21H8867.JPG, Botanical garden File:Boekentoren ugent rozier 675.jpg, The Boekentoren, designed by

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium. ...

, is one of the most famous university buildings File:Technicum 2010PM 0223 21H7226.JPG, The Technicum, or Faculty of Engineering File:Volderstraat aula UGent.jpg, Aula Academica File:Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschapppen 2010PM 0299 21H7326.JPG, Faculty of Bioengineering File:Blandijn 2010PM 1039 21H8809.JPG, The Blandijn houses the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy File:UGent Campus Kortrijk.png, UGent Campus in Kortrijk File:Faculteit Psychologie UGent.JPG, Faculty of Psychology File:Resto Overpoort 2010PM 0098 21H7081.JPG File:Leeszaal 3.jpg, Library of the department of Architecture and Urbanism File:Boekentoren ugent0103.jpg, Boekentoren File:Boekentoren ugent0102.jpg, UGent Boekentoren File:Faculteitsbibliotheek Letteren en Wijsbegeerte UGent.jpg, Library of the Humanities Faculty File:Museum voor Dierkunde 2010PM 0413 21H7553.JPG, Museum of Zoology File:Anatomisch Instituut - Bijlokesite 2010PM 0778 21H8528.JPG, Institute for Anatomy File:Rectoraatsgebouw UGent.jpg, Rectorate File:Voormalig restaurant Overpoort UGent.jpg File:Gent Universiteitscampus Voldersstraat-PM 07207.jpg

People

File:Johan Heinrich Neuman - Johan Rudolf Thorbecke.jpg, Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, statesman File:Henry.Pirenne.Portrait.gif, Henri Pirenne, historian File:George de Hevesy.jpg, George de Hevesy, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry File:Maurice Maeterlinck 2.jpg, Maurice Maeterlinck, Nobel Prize winner in Literature File:Corneille Heymans nobel.jpg, Corneel Heymans, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine File:Belgisch-Nederlandse studieconferentie te Helvoirt (NB). Minister M. de Riemaeck, Bestanddeelnr 920-8362.jpg, Marguerite Legot, first female government minister in Belgium File:Yaakov Dori2.jpg, Yaakov Dori, president of the Technion, Haifa File:Suzanne Lilar.1980s.jpg, Suzanne Lilar, feminist writer File:Marc van Montagu and Jozef Schell.jpg, Jozef Schell (right), molecular biologist File:Marmont675.jpg, Marc van Montagu, molecular biologist File:Robert Cailliau On Desk.jpg, Robert Cailliau, co-inventor of the World Wide Web File:Guy Verhofstadt EP press conference 3.jpg, Guy Verhofstadt, politician File:Rolin-Jacquemyn.jpg, Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns, jurist and diplomat File:Hélène Mallebrancke (1902-1940).jpg, Hélène Mallebrancke (1902-1940) Civil engineer and Belgian Resistance member in Second World War

Notable alumni

* Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau (1801-1883), physicist, mathematician * Abdoel Rivai (1871-1937), physician, journalist, the first native of the dutch east indies to obtain

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

* Leo Apostel (1925–1995), philosopher *

Leo Baekeland Leo Hendrik Baekeland (November 14, 1863 – February 23, 1944) was a Belgian chemist. He is best known for the inventions of Velox photographic paper in 1893, and Bakelite in 1907. He has been called "The Father of the Plastics Industry ...

(1863–1944), chemist, inventor of Bakelite *

Wim Blockmans Willem Pieter Blockmans (born 26 May 1945, Antwerp, Belgium) was Professor of Medieval History at Leiden University between 1987 and 2010. He earned a PhD from the University of Ghent. He has been Rector of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced ...

(born 1945), historian * Thierry Bogaert, founder of DevGen * Luc Bossyns, civil engineer * Marc Bossuyt (born 1944), judge, professor * Dries Buytaert (born 1978), computer scientist, founder of the Drupal CMS * Robert Cailliau (born 1947), co-inventor of the World Wide Web * Luc Coene (1947–2017), economy, governor of the

National Bank of Belgium The National Bank of Belgium (NBB; nl, Nationale Bank van België, french: Banque nationale de Belgique, german: Belgische Nationalbank) has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850. The National Bank of Belgium was established with 100% pr ...

(NBB) * Marc Coucke (born 1965), co-founder of

Omega Pharma Omega Pharma was a Belgian-based pharmaceutical company which was acquired in 2014 by Perrigo Company plc, an Irish/U.S.-based global pharmaceutical public company. The company was founded in 1987 and was based in the Industrial area 'de Prijkels' ...

* Martin De Prycker (born 1955), engineer * Bertha De Vriese (1877–1958), first woman to enroll and graduate as a physician * Franz Cumont (1868–1947), historian * (1922–1992), gynecologist, best known as chocolate maker of the brands Leonidas and Daskalidès. * Bert De Graeve (born 1955), law, businessman *

Michel de Kemmeter Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

, author and researcher in human sustainable development *

Rudy Dekeyser Rudy Dekeyser was until May 2012 the Managing Director of VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology). He was until May 2012 head of the technology transfer team of the institute. He obtained a PhD in molecular biology at the University of Ghe ...

, molecular biologist, assistant director of the VIB * Arnoud De Meyer (presently) director of Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge * Wim De Waele, economy and computer science, director of the IBBT * Catherine de Zegher (born 1955), international curator, art critic, and art historian * Martin Dobelle (1906–1986), veteran orthopedic surgeon * Yaakov Dori (1899–1973), first chief of staff of the

Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ( ...

, president of the

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ( he, הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technio ...

Paul Fredericq Paul Fredericq (12 August 1850 – 23 March 1920) was a Belgian historian at Ghent University active in the promotion of the use of the Dutch language in Belgium. Early life Paul Fredericq was born in the Sleepstraat in Ghent, Belgium. A studen ...

(1850–1920), historian * Walter Fiers (1931–2019), molecular biologist *

Leopold Flam Leopold Flam (16 March 1912 – 29 September 1995) was a Belgian philosopher. Together with Alphonse De Waelhens, Chaïm Perelman and Rudolf Boehm, he was one of leading philosophers of Belgium from the 1960s until the 1980s. Born in Antwer ...

(1912–1995), historian, philosopher * Dirk Frimout (born 1941), physicist, astronaut * Derrick Gosselin (born 1956), engineer, economist, business manager * Joseph Guislain (1797–1860), physiologist and psychiatrist * Jacques-Joseph Haus (1796–1881), jurist * Lucienne Herman-Michielsens (1926–1995), law, politician *

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from Re ...

(born 1947), doctor, psychiatrist, orchestra conductor * Corneille Heymans (1892–1968), physiologist (

Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

winner) * Jan Hoet, (1936–2014), art historian, museum director, founding director of the SMAK * Mark Janse (born 1959), classicist and linguist *

Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz Friedrich may refer to: Names * Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' * Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other * Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...

(1829–1896), chemist * Jaap Kruithof (1929–2009), philosopher *

Tom Lanoye Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

(born 1958), philologist, writer * François Laurent (1810–1887), jurist *

Marguerite Legot Marguerite Victorine Zéphirine Anne De Riemaecker-Legot (9 March 1913 – 7 May 1977) was the first Belgium, Belgian woman to serve as a government minister, and the first to be appointed Minister of State. Daughter of Leonardus Legot, a lawyer ...

(1913–1977), jurist, first Belgian woman to serve as a government minister * Yves Leterme (born 1960), prime minister of Belgium *

Emma Leclercq Emma Leclercq (15 August 1851 – 24 April 1933) was a Belgian cell biologist and feminist lecturer. She was known for being the first female student and graduate from Université libre de Bruxelles, and the first female doctorate earner from Gh ...

(1851–1933), cell biologist *

Herman Liebaers Herman Liebaers (February 1, 1919 in Tienen, Belgium – November 9, 2010 in Jette, Brussels) was a Belgian linguist. He was director general of the central Belgian Royal Library and ''Marshal of the Royal Household'' of the Royal Court of Be ...

(1919–2010), writer, former Marschal of the Royal Household. *

Suzanne Lilar Baroness Suzanne Lilar (née ''Suzanne Verbist''; 21 May 1901 – 11 December 1992) was a Flemish Belgian essayist, novelist, and playwright writing in French. She was the wife of the Belgian Minister of Justice Albert Lilar and mother of the ...

(born Suzanne Verbist) (1901–1992), philosopher, jurist, essayist, novelist *

Julius Mac Leod Julius Mac Leod (19 February 1857 – 3 March 1919), was a Belgian biologist and professor at the University of Ghent. His father was of Scottish descent. Mac Leod was born in Ostend. He was also director of the botanical garden. Julius Mac L ...

(1857–1919), botanist * Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949), jurist, writer (

winner) *

Hélène Mallebrancke Hélène Mallebrancke (3 March 1902 – 30 August 1940) was the first female Belgian civil engineer to graduate from the University of Ghent, and one of the earliest women engineers in Belgium. She was involved in the Belgian Resistance during ...

(1902–1940), first female Belgian civil engineer to graduate from the University of Ghent, Resistance member in Second World War * Paul Mansion (1844–1919), mathematician * Rudi Mariën, pharmacy, chairman of Innogenetics * Gerard Mortier (1943–2014), artistic director * Roland Peelman, conductor and musical director *

Jean-Pierre Nuel Jean-Pierre Nuel (February 27, 1847 – August 21, 1920) was a Luxembourgian-Belgian ophthalmologist and physiologist who was a native of Tétange. In 1870 he earned his doctorate from the University of Ghent, and became licensed to practice ...

(1847–1920), physiologist *

Peter Piot Sir Peter Karel, Baron Piot, (born 17 February 1949) is a Belgian-British microbiologist known for his research into Ebola and AIDS. After helping discover the Ebola virus in 1976 and leading efforts to contain the first-ever recorded Ebola ep ...

(born 1949), doctor, assistant secretary-general of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

* Henri Pirenne (1862–1935), historian * Karel Poma (1920–2014), chemist and politician *

Ockert Potgieter Ockert Potgieter (Ukrainian: Окерт Потгітер; 11 December 1965 – 11 October 2021) was a South African missionary in Ukraine and a film director. Education Potgieter completed his school years at Potchefstroom Gimnasium. He st ...

(1965-2021), missionary and film director *

Adolphe Quetelet Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet FRSF or FRSE (; 22 February 1796 – 17 February 1874) was a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician and sociologist who founded and directed the Brussels Observatory and was influential in introdu ...

(1796–1874), statistician *

Godfried-Willem Raes Godfried-Willem Raes is a Belgian composer, performer and instrument maker. He is the founder of the Logos Foundation of which he is still the president. He holds a PhD from Ghent University and is professor of experimental music composition a ...

(born 1952), composer, performer and instrument maker * Jacques Rogge (1942–2021), doctor, president of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

* Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns (1835–1902), jurist, diplomat and cofounder of the Institut de droit international * Jozef Schell (1935–2003), molecular biologist * Ferdinand Augustijn Snellaert (1809–1872), physician and writer * Luc Van den Bossche (born 1947), law, politician * Guido van Gheluwe (1926–2014), jurist and founder of the

Orde van den Prince The Orde van den Prince or Order of the Prince is a Flemish- Dutch society for the promotion of the language and culture of the Dutch-speaking Low Countries (Flanders and Netherlands). Each month members meet on fixed locations, except during summe ...

* Herman Vanderpoorten (1922–1984), politician * Hugo Van Heuverswyn (born 1948) chemist, biotech pioneer and businessman * Ann Van Gysel, zoology * Dirk Van de Put, businessman, incoming CEO of

Mondelez International Mondelez International, Inc. ( ), often styled Mondelēz, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational confectionery, food industry, food, holding and drink industry, beverage and snack food company based in Chicago. Mondelez has an ...

* Karel van de Woestijne (1878–1929), writer *

(1863–1957), architect * Alexander Van Dijck, pioneer in rare diseases * Prudens van Duyse (1804–1859), writer * Paul van Geert (born 1950), psychologist * Marc Van Montagu (born 1933), biotech pioneer *

Désiré van Monckhoven Désiré Charles Emanuel van Monckhoven (1834–1882) was a Belgian chemist, physicist, and photographic researcher. He was also an inventor and author.Day, Lance ''et al.'' (1996) ''Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology,'' p. 49 ...

(1934–1882), physicist *

Jules Van Praet Jules Van Praet (2 July 1806 – 29 December 1887) was a Belgian diplomat and personal secretary of King Leopold I of Belgium. He was born in Bruges, and died in Brussels aged 81. Honours * 1853: Grand Cordon of the Imperial Order of Leopold ...

(1806–1887), statesman *

Willy van Ryckeghem Willy van Ryckeghem (Ghent, 1935) is a Belgian economist and statistician who devoted much of his career to Latin America. He studied economics in Ghent, Copenhagen and Paris and taught Business cycles at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Econometric ...

(born 1935), economist *

Piet Vanthemsche Piet, Baron Vanthemsche (6 December 1955) is a Belgian veterinary surgeon and civil servant. In 2008, he succeeded Noël Devisch as President of the ''Boerenbond'' (E: Catholic Belgian Farmers Union) in Leuven. Education Born in Kortrijk, he grad ...

(born 1955), veterinary surgeon * Daniel Varoujan (1884–1915), Armenian poet *

Guy Verhofstadt Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...

(born 1953), former prime minister of Belgium, liberal European politician *

Dirk Verhofstadt Dirk Verhofstadt (born 25 August 1955 in Dendermonde) is a Belgian social liberal (Rawlsian) theorist and younger brother of former Belgian Prime Minister and former ALDE European Parliament Leader Guy Verhofstadt. He has a keen interest in ...

(born 1955), publisher * Etienne Vermeersch (1934–2019), philosopher *

Katrien Vermeire Katrien Vermeire (born Ostend, 1979) is a Belgian artist. Career Katrien Vermeire studied photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and art history at Ghent University. She won the quadrennial Fine Arts Award of the Province of W ...

(born 1979), artist * André Vlerick (1919–1990), economy * Emile Waxweiler (1867–1916), engineer and sociologist * Marc Zabeau (born 1949), zoology

Notable faculty

S.N. Balagangadhara S. N. Balagangadhara (aka Balu) is a professor emeritus of the Ghent University in Belgium, and was director of the India Platform and the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cutuurwetenschap (Comparative Science of Cultures). Early life and educati ...

(born 1952), comparative science of cultures * George de Hevesy (1885–1966), Nobel Prize winner, Chemistry * François Laurent (1810–1887), historian and jurisconsult *

Jan De Maeseneer Jan De Maeseneer (born 30 June 1952, in Ghent) is a Belgium, Belgian family physician and has been Head of the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care of Ghent University, Ghent University (1991–2017). In 1977, De Maeseneer graduat ...

(born 1952), medicine, family medicine * Georges De Moor (born 1953), medicine, medical informatics * Walter Fiers (1931-2019), molecular biologist * Corneille Heymans (1892–1968), physiologist (

winner) * Joseph Plateau (1801–1883), physicist *

Xavier Saelens Xavier Saelens (born 1965) is a Belgian scientist and currently his main research interest is finding a universal influenza vaccine. He is a lecturer in Virology and Group Leader of the Molecular Virology Unit at the University of Ghent (Ghent, Be ...

(born 1965), biotechnology * Jeff Schell (1935–2003), biotech pioneer *

Erwin Schrödinger Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (, ; ; 12 August 1887 – 4 January 1961), sometimes written as or , was a Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist with Irish citizenship who developed a number of fundamental results in quantum theo ...

(1887–1961), physicist (

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

winner), visiting scholar * Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (1798–1872), statesman * Marc Van Montagu (born 1933), biotech pioneer * August Vermeylen (1872–1945), author, art historian, statesman *

(1835–1917), chemist (Nobel prize winner), visiting scholar * August Kekulé (1829–1896), chemist

Rectors

* 1817–1818:

Jean Charles Van Rotterdam Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

* 1818–1819: * 1819–1820:

Jean Baptiste Hellebaut Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

* 1820–1821: * 1821–1822:

François Egide Verbeeck François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

* 1822–1823:

Jean Guillaume Garnier Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

* 1823–1824:

Pierre De Ryckere Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

* 1824–1825:

Louis Vincent Raoul Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

* 1825–1826:

Jacques Louis Kesteloot Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

* 1826–1827: Jean Charles Hauff * 1827–1828:

Jacques Joseph Haus Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

* 1828–1829:

Pierre Lammens Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

* 1829–1830: * 1830–1831:

Jacques Van Breda Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are ov ...

* 1831–1832:

Leopold Auguste Warnkoenig Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name) * Leopold (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold Bloom, the protagonist ...

* 1832–1833:

François Verbeeck François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

* 1833–1834:

* 1834–1835:

* 1835–1838:

* 1838–1839:

Philippe Auguste De Rote Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

* 1839–1840: * 1840–1841:

Jean Timmermans Jean Émile Charles Timmermans (8 January 1882 – 27 August 1971) was a Belgian physical chemist and educator. He was known for the discovery of plastic crystals and the published books on physical chemistry constants and experimental data of pu ...

* 1841–1842:

Josephus Nelis Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly de ...

* 1842–1843:

Georg Wilhelm Rassmann Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * G ...

* 1843–1844:

Charles Van Coetsem Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

* 1844–1845: Marie-Charles Margerin * 1845–1846:

Jean-Baptiste Minne-Barth Jean-Baptiste Minne-Barth (2 September 1796 – 17 February 1851) was a lawyer and Belgian Orangist politician. He was a municipality Council member (1830–1841) and burgomaster of Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional ...

* 1846–1847:

Joseph Roulez Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

* 1847–1848:

* 1848–1852:

Eloi Manderlier The Eloi are one of the two fictional post-human races, along with the Morlocks, in H. G. Wells' 1895 novel ''The Time Machine''. In H. G. Wells' ''The Time Machine'' By the year AD 802,701, humanity has evolved into two separate species: the ...

* 1852–1855: * 1855–1857:

Constant-Philippe Serrure Constant-Philippe Serrure (1805–1872) was a prolific Belgian historian and collector who taught at Ghent University. He was a founding member and active contributor of the Maetschappy der Vlaemsche Bibliophilen, which published editions of medie ...

* 1857–1864:

* 1864–1867:

* 1867–1870: * 1870–1873:

Joseph Jean Fuerison Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

* 1873–1879: * 1879–1885: * 1885–1887:

Jean-Jacques Kickx Jean-Jacques is a French name, equivalent to "John James" in English. Since the second half of 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau was widely known as Jean Jacques. Notable people bearing this name include: Given name * Jean-Jacques Annaud (born 19 ...

* 1887–1891: Gustave Wolters * 1891–1894: Adhémar Motte * 1894–1897:

Charles Van Cauwenberghe Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

* 1897–1900: Polynice Van Wetter * 1900–1903: * 1903–1906: * 1906–1909:

Hector Leboucq In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

* 1909–1912: * 1912–1915:

Henri Schoentjes Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

* 1916–1918:

Pierre Hoffmann Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

* 1918–1919:

* 1919–1921: Henri Pirenne * 1921–1923:

Eugène Eeman Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Jean-François Heymans * 1924–1927: * 1927–1929:

Camille De Bruyne Camille may refer to: Fictional entities * a Power Rangers Jungle Fury character * Camille Wallaby, a character in Alfred Hedgehog * a character from ''League of Legends'' video game voiced by Emily O'Brien Films *''Camille (1912 film)'', a s ...

* 1929–1930: * 1930–1933: August Vermeylen * 1933–1936: * 1936–1938: * 1938–1939:

Jean Haesaert Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

* 1939–1941:

René Goubau René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...

* 1940–1944: * 1944–1947: * 1947–1950: * 1950–1953: * 1953–1957: * 1957–1961: * 1961–1969: * 1969–1973: * 1973–1977: * 1977–1981: * 1981–1985: * 1985–1993: * 1993–2001: * 2001–2005: Andreas De Leenheer * 2005–2013: Paul Van Cauwenberge * 2013–2017: * 2017–2021:

Recipients of honorary doctorates

* J. G. ten Houten,

Wageningen Agricultural University Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

, Agricultural Sciences * Mary Beard,

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, Classics (2021)

Notes and references

External links

* {{authority control Universities in Belgium Forestry education Educational institutions established in 1817 Engineering universities and colleges in Belgium Forestry in Belgium 1817 establishments in the Netherlands William I of the Netherlands