Hanne Bakelants

Hanne Bakelants is a post-doctoral researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and a paid visiting professor in both End-of-Life Care and Business Technology & Operations Management. Embedded in the End-of-Life Care Research Group and the Society and Aging Research Lab (SARLab), she leads scholarly and applied work on creating Compassionate Communities in universities, schools and workplaces.

Education

• M.Sc. Educational Sciences, KU Leuven (2019)
• M.Sc. Globalisation & Development Studies, Maastricht University (2020)
• Ph.D. Social Health Sciences, VUB (2020-2024)

Research Focus

Bakelants’ research revolves around integrating compassionate practices into organisational cultures. Through participatory methods—ripple effects mapping, participant observation, developmental evaluation—she examines how universities and workplaces can become supportive environments for students and employees facing serious illness, death and bereavement.

Her current post-doctoral project (since January 2025) extends the Compassionate University model into schools and workplaces across Europe, under two Horizon-related grants (COCO_ENV and EU-CoWork, 2024-2029).

Publications Trajectory

Across 2024-25 she authored six peer-reviewed articles, a 237-page PhD thesis and multiple datasets. The work spans qualitative evaluations of compassionate interventions, process evaluations of university programmes, and participatory mapping of community ripple effects.

Scientific Awards & Recognition

• Consistent media commentary (De Morgen, VRT) on grief in the workplace
• Invited keynote and workshop facilitator at international conferences (e.g., EAPC 2024)
• Open-access datasets and methodological guides widely downloaded (>1,000 cumulative views)

Grants & Projects

• IRP24 “COCO_ENV” (€1.6 M, 2024-2029) – interdisciplinary study of environments influencing serious illness, caregiving, dying and bereavement
• EU-CoWork “Compassionate Workplaces” (€1.2 M, 2024-2028) – developing compassionate workplaces for digital & green transitions

Labs & Teams

She co-leads activities in SARLab and the End-of-Life Care Research Group at VUB, collaborating with professors Joachim Cohen, Sarah Dury, Lieve Van den Block and others. She also chairs multi-country workshops and supervises junior researchers within the EU-CoWork consortium.