Sara Bals was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on 25 August 1977. She studied Physics at the University of Antwerp, where she became fascinated by the possibilities of electron microscopy within the Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) group. In September 1999, she joined EMAT to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Professor Gustaaf Van Tendeloo, studying superconducting thin films and tapes with a PhD grant from the Flemish Research Foundation. She obtained her PhD degree in May  2003 with the highest of distinction and special honours by the jury. Next, she performed postdoctoral work at the National Centre for Electron Microscopy at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Upon her return to Antwerp, she became Assistant Professor and eventually became a Full Professor in 2018. Sara is currently the director of EMAT, and the coordinator of NanoLight, a Centre of Excellence at the University of Antwerp.

The scientific impact and originality of this research have been recognized through successive European Research Council (ERC) grants, including a Starting Grant (2012), a Consolidator Grant (2018), two Proof of Concept Grants (2023 and 2026), and a Synergy Grant (2025). In 2016, she received the Laureate of the Academy for Natural Sciences Award from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, and she was appointed Francqui Research Professor in 2017, recognizing her pioneering contributions to materials characterization. Her international reputation was further underscored by the European Microscopy Award in 2020 and the ACS Nano Lectureship Award in 2021. Sara’s standing within the international scientific community is further reflected by her election to several prestigious academies. In 2020, she became a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. She is also an elected member of the Academia Europaea and the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC), where she also serves as a committee member of the Materials Science Division.

Sara Bals has mentored numerous Bachelor, Master and PhD students as well as postdoctoral researchers, who have on their own built successful careers in academia and industry. She has served in various scientific boards for evaluating research, including FWO and ERC, and is a member of various editorial boards and international networks.