(Press-News.org) The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is opening 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a specific focus on American scholars working in socially significant fields. These prestigious fellowships come with substantial funding (€2.5 million) as part of the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) program. Additionally, as part of the Brains for Brussels initiative, VUB aims to actively attract American professors looking to relocate. In collaboration with its Francophone sister university ULB, VUB is also providing 18 apartments for international researchers seeking temporary residence at the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies.
VUB's initiative is a response to the alarming political interference in academic research by the Trump administration in the U.S. The university is taking a firm stand against these developments. "Our university is freeing up funds and establishing a dedicated contact point for American researchers who want to continue their work in Brussels," says VUB Rector Jan Danckaert. "U.S. universities and their scholars are the biggest victims of this political and ideological interference. They are seeing millions in research funding disappear for ideological reasons. European universities are also being affected. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel has already experienced this firsthand, becoming one of the first Flemish institutions impacted by the Trump administration. Recently, two research projects we had approved in collaboration with U.S. partners were canceled due to 'changed policy priorities.' One project focused on Youth and Disinformation, while the other explored the Transatlantic Dialogue between the U.S. and Europe."
"As a European pioneer in climate research, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), artificial intelligence (AI), and geopolitical security, VUB offers an excellent environment where top American researchers can work freely," Rector Danckaert emphasizes. "Our university is committed to actively supporting free academic inquiry. VUB was founded in 1834 precisely to safeguard academic freedom, free from interference by church or state. We see it as our duty to assist our American colleagues."
Following the terrorist attacks of March 22, 2016, in Brussels, then-President Trump famously referred to the Belgian capital, specifically the Brussels district of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, as a "hellhole," a remark that sparked strong emotional reactions across Europe. This makes VUB's initiative even more symbolically significant.
To assist American researchers, VUB is launching a revamped website featuring its academic job openings (academicpositions.com/employer/vrije-universiteit-brussel). Additionally, VUB has set up a dedicated contact point (research.welcome@vub.be) where U.S. researchers can find information about research programs, visa applications, and life and work in Brussels.
END
Free University Brussels (VUB) opens its doors to censored American researchers
University allocates funding and contact point for U.S. scholars looking to relocate to Brussels
2025-03-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Neuroanatomy that sets humans apart from other primates
2025-03-17
Researchers have widely accepted that what sets humans apart from nonhuman primates are prefrontal cortex–driven behaviors such as decision-making, reasoning, planning, and attention. In a new JNeurosci paper, research led by Rogier Mars, at University of Oxford, and Katherine Bryant, at Aix-Marseille University, provides a better picture of the cortical evolution that distinguishes human brains from other primates.
The researchers compared cortical organization not only between humans and macaques, which is a standard for human and nonhuman primate ...
Stress and sex influence traumatic brain injury outcomes
2025-03-17
How stress impacts behavioral outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major gap in knowledge. This oversight is especially felt by those in the military due to the high prevalence of TBI and the abundance of stress that they endure. In a study funded by the US Department of Defense, researchers led by Pamela VandeVord at Virginia Tech discovered that prior stress exposure influences TBI outcomes in a sex-dependent manner.
In their eNeuro paper, VandeVord and colleagues used an unpredictable stress paradigm ...
Study: suppressing key protein may unlock immunotherapy for Glioblastoma
2025-03-17
MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL MARCH 17, 2025, AT NOON EDT) – Glioblastoma has remained one of the toughest cancers to treat, resisting even the latest advances in immunotherapy. But new research from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, suggests a way forward: suppressing a protein called ZNF638 triggers an antiviral immune response, making immune checkpoint inhibitors more effective. The discovery not only offers a potential new treatment strategy but also identifies ...
Early surgical intervention in children with sleep-disordered breathing reduces need for doctor visits, prescriptions
2025-03-17
In a randomized trial, Mass General Brigham researchers found the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids was effective for children with snoring and mild sleep apnea
An estimated 6 to 17 percent of children have sleep-disordered breathing, ranging from snoring to sleep apnea, which can cause behavioral, neurocognitive, cardiovascular, and cardiometabolic issues. A new study from Mass General Brigham researchers reveals that adenotonsillectomy—the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids—is an effective early intervention for these children. Their results are published in JAMA Pediatrics.
“To ...
Statin use and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver fibrosis in chronic liver disease
2025-03-17
About The Study: This cohort study found that statin use was associated with a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic decompensation in patients with chronic liver disease. These findings provide support for the potential role of statins in prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver disease progression.
Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Jonggi Choi, MD, PhD, (j.choi@amc.seoul.kr) and Raymond T. Chung, MD, (chung.raymond@mgh.harvard.edu).
To ...
Gender-affirming hormone therapy and depressive symptoms among transgender adults
2025-03-17
About The Study: In this longitudinal observational cohort study, gender-affirming hormone therapy was associated with lower rates of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of gender-affirming primary care models for transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse patients.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sari L. Reisner, ScD, MA, email sreisner@umich.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0955)
Editor’s ...
Surgery in kids with mild sleep-disordered breathing tied to fewer doctor visits, meds
2025-03-17
What: Surgical removal of enlarged tonsils and adenoids in children with mild sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) appears to significantly reduce the frequency of medical office visits and prescription medicine use in this group, according to a clinical study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, show that the surgery, called adenotonsillectomy, was tied to a 32% reduction in medical visits and a 48% reduction in prescription use among children with a mild form of the condition.
SDB refers to breathing disturbances during sleep ...
Magnetic microalgae on a mission to become robots
2025-03-17
Stuttgart – A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart developed a biohybrid micro swimmer covered with magnetic material, whose swimming ability is largely unaffected by the coating. The team from the Physical Intelligence Department at MPI-IS published their work in the journal Matter, which covers a wide range of materials science research.
In nature, the ten-micron small, single-cell microalgae are fantastic swimmers, propelled by their two whip-like ...
Impact journals to participate at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025
2025-03-17
Impact Journals is proud to participate in the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025, taking place April 25-30 in Chicago, Illinois.
BUFFALO, NY- March 17, 2025 – Impact Journals is pleased to announce its participation as an exhibitor at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025. The meeting is scheduled for April 25-30, 2025, at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The 2025 AACR Annual Meeting theme, “Unifying Cancer Science and Medicine: A Continuum of Innovation ...
Webb telescope captures its first direct images of carbon dioxide outside solar system
2025-03-17
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct images of carbon dioxide in a planet outside the solar system in HR 8799, a multiplanet system 130 light-years away that has long been a key target for planet formation studies.
The observations provide strong evidence that the system’s four giant planets formed in much the same way as Jupiter and Saturn, by slowly building solid cores. They also confirm Webb can do more than infer atmospheric composition from starlight measurements—it can directly analyze the chemistry ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Making lighter work of calculating fluid and heat flow
Normalizing blood sugar can halve heart attack risk
Lowering blood sugar cuts heart attack risk in people with prediabetes
Study links genetic variants to risk of blinding eye disease in premature infants
Non-opioid ‘pain sponge’ therapy halts cartilage degeneration and relieves chronic pain
AI can pick up cultural values by mimicking how kids learn
China’s ecological redlines offer fast track to 30 x 30 global conservation goal
Invisible indoor threats: emerging household contaminants and their growing risks to human health
Adding antibody treatment to chemo boosts outcomes for children with rare cancer
Germline pathogenic variants among women without a history of breast cancer
Tanning beds triple melanoma risk, potentially causing broad DNA damage
Unique bond identified as key to viral infection speed
Indoor tanning makes youthful skin much older on a genetic level
Mouse model sheds new light on the causes and potential solutions to human GI problems linked to muscular dystrophy
The Journal of Nuclear Medicine ahead-of-print tip sheet: December 12, 2025
Smarter tools for peering into the microscopic world
Applications open for funding to conduct research in the Kinsey Institute archives
Global measure underestimates the severity of food insecurity
Child survivors of critical illness are missing out on timely follow up care
Risk-based vs annual breast cancer screening / the WISDOM randomized clinical trial
University of Toronto launches Electric Vehicle Innovation Ontario to accelerate advanced EV technologies and build Canada’s innovation advantage
Early relapse predicts poor outcomes in aggressive blood cancer
American College of Lifestyle Medicine applauds two CMS models aligned with lifestyle medicine practice and reimbursement
Clinical trial finds cannabis use not a barrier to quitting nicotine vaping
Supplemental nutrition assistance program policies and food insecurity
Switching immune cells to “night mode” could limit damage after a heart attack, study suggests
URI-based Global RIghts Project report spotlights continued troubling trends in worldwide inhumane treatment
Neutrophils are less aggressive at night, explaining why nighttime heart attacks cause less damage than daytime events
Menopausal hormone therapy may not pose breast cancer risk for women with BRCA mutations
Mobile health tool may improve quality of life for adolescent and young adult breast cancer survivors
[Press-News.org] Free University Brussels (VUB) opens its doors to censored American researchersUniversity allocates funding and contact point for U.S. scholars looking to relocate to Brussels