Project R-15963

Francqui chair prof. dr. Hans Van Dyck (Research)

Hans Van Dyck is a biologist. He studied at KULeuven and UA. He obtained his PhD in 1997 at UA, researching the behavioral patterns of butterflies. When he was appointed as an academic at UCLouvain (Louvain-la-Neuve) in 2004, he set up his own research group, 'Behavioral Ecology & Conservation'. His team is part of the biodiversity and ecology department of the Earth and Life Institute at UCLouvain. Professor Van Dyck's research work can be characterized as 'Behavioral Landscape Ecology'. It encompasses both fundamental and applied ecological and evolutionary research with a strong emphasis on understanding variation in behavior and life history traits within and between species in human-scale landscapes. Who are the winners and losers, and why? For his research, Van Dyck often works with insects (butterflies, moths, grasshoppers) and birds. This involves both observational field research and experimental work in the laboratory and in the field. In terms of research areas, he combines behavioral ecology, functional morphology and physiology, thermal ecology, landscape analysis, nature conservation, and restoration.In addition to being an active researcher, Van Dyck is a passionate teacher and head of the master's program in Biology of Organisms and Ecology at UCLouvain. He regularly brings biological insights to policymakers and the general public. He does the latter by writing articles for newspapers and magazines (e.g., EOS, Natuurfocus), giving public lectures, and speaking on radio and television. He is also the author of, among other things, the popular book 'Het orakel van de bosnimf. Van vlinders en mensen' (Lannoo) and enjoys reflecting on the relationships between art and science, philosophy and science, and biodiversity and health. The program of this Francqui Chair at Hasselt University covers these various elements of Hans Van Dyck's work.

01 October 2025 - 30 September 2026