We are thrilled to announce the selection of our Open Call for Young Scientists, who will be joining us for the second edition of the STUDIOTOPIA Residency Programme. In the framework of this programme five scientists will join the two artists (Adrien Lucca & Laure Winants) at their studio in Brussels to embark on artistic research journey. The outcome of their collaboration will be presented at the Royal Museum for Natural Sciences in Brussels in 2026 – stay tuned!
Scientists working with Adrien Lucca
Dr. Aiman RAZA is a Postdoctoral researcher in the third year of his post-PhD research activities; his primary research areas are Lighting, imaging, color appearance, colorimetry and chronobiology. The key theme of his research activities incorporate the human component of light and color perception, with an emphasis on experimentation to formulate empirical evidences. Currently, he is pursuing a postdoctoral project with INSERM, Lyon on the topic: Influence of light exposure (or the absence of it) on the sleep quality of (healthy) night workers.
Dr. Marko Ilić is a biologist specializing in animal physiology, with a focus on insect vision since his master’s thesis. As part of a dynamic research team, he has studied the spectral and polarization vision of flies, beetles, butterflies, and moths. His work has driven him to develop creative solutions for calibrated light conditions, sparking an interest in microcontrollers and programming. Most of his data acquisition and analysis is conducted using various programming languages. Passionate about bridging disciplines, he aims to continue his research, with aspirations to explore human physiology and psychophysics, integrating his expertise in vision science and technical innovation.
Colas Schretter completed the M.Sc. degree in computer science with great honors in 2004 and received an additional Master of advanced studies (DEA) in 2006 from the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. In February 2007, he moved to Germany for a scientist position with Philips Research, Aachen. Meanwhile, he earned a Marie Curie EST fellowship for his doctoral thesis, awarded with magna cum laude in April 2010, at the Otto-von-Guericke University. Thereafter, he won a Marie Curie ERG grant for a postdoctoral project with the RWTH Aachen University and was visiting researcher at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He was selected for a M+Vision 2012 fellowship at the MIT in Cambridge, USA and is back in Belgium since October 2013, as senior research scientist at the ETRO department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Scientists working with Laure Winants
Louise Delhaye is an oceanographer working at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, where she studies the impact of human activities in the North Sea on particles suspended in the water column and on the seabed. When she is not out at sea collecting data, she is trying to understand them using codes and graphs and to make a story out of them. Alongside her love for the oceans, she also has a passion for poles, which led her to become one of the co-chairs of APECS Belgium, an association of early career scientists aiming at communicating and educating on polar science. On top of her scientist’s coat, you will certainly find her wearing her camera.
Raquel Ledo Doval, Galician, and biotechnologist by profession, with a focus on marine microbiology. She is currently working on marine fungi within a circular economy framework to produce alternative proteins from seaweeds. Her passion lies in merging science with art to communicate complex natural systems, aiming to inspire and educate on sustainable practices and environmental conservation. Through the integration of visual, artistic and scientific forms, she aims to showcase the interconnectedness of marine ecosystems.
