Rik Van de Walle

Rik Van de Walle (1970) is a senior full professor at Ghent University, former rector (2017–2025), and University Director at imec. As the founder of the Multimedia Lab (now IDLab, ~350 researchers), he built a leading research group at the intersection of internet technology, data, and artificial intelligence. He holds a master’s and a PhD in engineering physics from Ghent University, was a visiting researcher at the University of Arizona, and has served in leadership roles as dean and member of the Board of Governors. He is a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, was twice honored in the Order of Leopold (Officer and Commander), and served two terms as president of CESAER, the European network of universities of science and technology.

As an AI expert, Van de Walle focuses on scaling data-driven and AI-driven innovation across research and industry. In his dual role at Ghent University and imec, he strengthens IDLab and the “The Brain - AI Tech Hub Ghent” initiative, emphasizing internationalization, ecosystems, and partnerships between knowledge institutions and companies, bringing AI solutions into practice faster, responsibly, and with impact.