Belgian Offshore Wind PhD Day 2025

The 24th of September 2025 marked an important milestone for the OWI-Lab Academy program: we organized the very first Belgian Academic Offshore Wind PhD Day.

Hosted in Ghent in parallel to the Wind Technology Summit, the gathering brought together more than 40 PhD researchers from universities and research institutes across Belgium, all working on various aspects of offshore wind energy.

The day was designed to foster exchange and connection within the growing academic community working on offshore wind. Twenty PhD researchers took the stage for a unique challenge — presenting their research in just three minutes using a single slide. This fast-paced pitching format offered a concise yet impressive overview of the breadth of offshore wind research in Belgium, covering topics from structural integrity and digital monitoring to marine ecology and environmental impacts.

Three participants were recognized for their outstanding presentations:

• Sofya Aoufi (Ghent University/Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) for her research on the effects of wind farms on harbor porpoises in the North Sea.

• Ahmed Mujtaba (VUB) for his work on data-driven lifetime assessment of offshore wind turbine monopiles.

• Pauline Denis (Ghent University/Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) for her study on how floating solar panels within wind farms influence the marine ecosystem.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to science communication. Through an interactive workshop, participants learned how to craft an engaging elevator pitch and identify their key stakeholders — valuable skills for bridging the gap between technical research and broader audiences. The hands-on approach and peer feedback made this session one of the day’s highlights.

Beyond the presentations and workshops, the event offered an invaluable opportunity for PhD researchers to meet, exchange experiences, and explore connections across disciplines and institutions. Strengthening these networks is a central goal of the OWI-Lab Academy, which aims to connect and support the next generation of offshore wind experts in Belgium.

The success of this first edition shows the strong enthusiasm within the community and confirms the need for such dedicated events. The OWI-Lab Academy team is already looking forward to building on this momentum at next year’s PhD Day — continuing to grow a vibrant network of offshore wind researchers driving innovation in offshore wind!

Curious to see all pictures? Then have a look at our album