Raf Buyle joins KNoWS

Hello everyone,

My name is Raf Buyle, and I’ve recently joined the KNoWS team full-time, focusing on International Relations – Data & Trust Innovation. As many of you know, I’ve had a long-standing collaboration with both IDLab and KNoWS. I completed my PhD with KNoWS in 2021 (a joint PhD with IDLab-MICT) and have been actively promoting KNoWS’ work as a voluntary external postdoctoral researcher ever since.

In my new role, I’ll be working to build lasting connections with emerging data ecosystems in Flanders, across Europe, and beyond. The aim is to attract unique research opportunities and funding for both our team and the wider IDLab community.

My journey with IDLab began over a decade ago, when we in Flanders first ventured into the world of Linked Open Data. Back then, I co-initiated the Open Standards for Linked Organisations (OSLO) programme with IDLab – including Professor Pieter Colpaert – and the Flemish ICT Organisation, launching it as a crowd-funded initiative. Today, OSLO has grown into a highly impactful interoperability programme with a solid legal foundation. This work later became the subject of my PhD, Raising Semantic and Technical Interoperability in the Public Sector.

In 2017, together with Professor Ruben Verborgh, I also helped introduce Solid in Flanders – planting a seed in fertile ground for its continued growth here.

I’m looking forward to working even more closely together, inspired by our shared commitment to a common cause. Together, we can shape a future where trusted data insights truly change lives.

If you have any questions or ideas, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!