Niels De Nutte

Niels De Nutte is a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), specializing in History and Ethics. His academic roles include serving as Associate Editor of the Secular Studies journal (De Gruyter Brill) and Associate Director of the International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism. He holds an unpaid guest professorship in History, Archeology, Arts, Philosophy, and Ethics.

De Nutte earned a Master's degree in 2014 from VUB under Prof. J. Tyssens, focusing on euthanasia advocacy in Flanders. His doctoral thesis (2025) explores the right-to-die in Belgium from the 1920s to 1993. He is actively involved in research projects such as the Brussels Centre for Religious and Secular Studies (BCRS) and the Dispersed Heritage of Belgian Secular Periodicals initiative.

His research interests center on secular humanism, euthanasia advocacy, Belgian legal and societal attitudes toward death, and the historical interaction between non-religious groups and state institutions. Notable contributions include analyzing murder trials influencing euthanasia debates and tracing secularist funding dynamics in Flanders.

De Nutte has received three competitive fellowships: a 2025 grant for conference participation in Kraków, a 2023 short research stay at the University of Chicago, and a 2025 award for interdisciplinary medical-ethical research. He frequently presents at international conferences and contributes to policy debates on secularism and end-of-life ethics.

He collaborates with organizations like the Centrum voor Academische en Vrijzinnige Archieven and serves on editorial boards. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary ethical challenges, particularly in Belgium's secular and medical landscapes.