Jan Danckaert

Jan Danckaert is a Professor of Physics and Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He leads the Data Analytics Lab within the Department of Applied Physics and Photonics. His research spans photonics, semiconductor lasers, nonlinear dynamics, and ethical artificial intelligence. He has received the VUB-prijs Roger Van Geen (1998) for his work on semiconductor mode polarization behavior. Active in interdisciplinary projects, he co-leads initiatives like the EU-funded COMPASs 2.0 and FOR EU4All, focusing on human-centered AI and university governance reform.

Education highlights include doctoral supervision in physics and engineering, with notable advisees including A. Vandervelde (prokaryotic toxin-antitoxin modules) and L. Appeltant (reservoir computing). His work bridges foundational physics with applied challenges like energy harvesting via metasurfaces and addressing algorithmic bias in AI systems. He maintains roles in academic governance, public lectures, and international conferences including the IEEE Photonics Society events.