Rate My Professor Herwig Leirs

Herwig Leirs is a full professor in the Department of Biology and the current Rector of the University of Antwerp, a position he assumed on September 1, 2024. He obtained his PhD in Zoology from the University of Antwerp in 1992 with the grandest distinction, after completing a Licentiate in Zoology in 1985 and a Kandidaat in Biological Sciences in 1983. His academic career at the University of Antwerp began in 1985 as a biology student and has included roles as research assistant with the National Fund for Scientific Research (1989-1992 and 1994-1996), professor since 2001, and full professor since 2008. From 1996 to 2001, he served as Head of the Mammal Department at the Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory. Additionally, he was Dean of the Faculty of Sciences from 2009 to 2015 and Chairman of the Board of Governors since 2016.

Leirs' research focuses on evolutionary ecology, with expertise in morphological and molecular identification of small mammals, particularly rodents, molluscs, and insects, and consultancy on management of rodent-related problems in agriculture and public health, especially in Africa. Key areas include population dynamics, host-parasite interactions, rodent-borne diseases, zoonoses epidemiology, and integrated pest management. He leads the Evolutionary Ecology Group (EVECO) and directs projects such as VAX-IDEA on infectious disease prevention, RESTOREID on re-emerging infectious diseases, BEPREP on biodiversity recovery and public health interventions, and studies on arenaviruses, hantaviruses, and plague. Notable publications include his doctoral book "Population Ecology of Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834): Implications for Rodent Control in Africa" (1995), "Seasonality and non-linear density-dependence in the dynamics of African Mastomys rats" in Nature (1997), and editorship of "Rodent Biology and Integrated Pest Management in Africa" (1997). His Google Scholar profile shows over 18,000 citations in Zoology, Population Ecology, Ecology of Infections, and Rodents. He teaches Parasitology, Infectious Disease Ecology, Mammalogy, and Ecology of Populations and Communities. Awards include the Schouteden Prize (1993) for African zoology and Lifetime Recognition of Excellence (2018). Leirs has served as Associate Editor of Mammalia and on various scientific committees.