10. October 2008 09:42
ESF names Professor Ceulemans as the Chair of the Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences Standing Committee
The European Science Foundation (ESF) has named Professor Reinhart Ceulemans as the new chair of the Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences Standing Committee (LEE (formerly LESC)). The announcement came after the Governing Council of the ESF voiced its endorsement for Professor Ceulemans to replace Professor Alexandre Quintanilha.
“I feel very honoured with the appointment of becoming the chair of LEE (formerly LESC) after the nomination from the Flemish FWO (the Research Foundation Flanders). I see this as a great challenge that will call for my focus and attention over the next three years,” commented Professor Reinhart Ceulemans. The Resarch Foundation Flanders is one of the 77 Member Organisations of ESF.
The 54 year-old Professor Ceulemans is currently the Vice-dean of the Faculty of Sciences, the Director of the Center of Excellence ECO and the head of the Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology at the University of Antwerpen (Belgium). During the period 1999-2005 he was among the 20 most cited authors in plant science in Europe. And during the academic year 2006-2007 he was the titular of the Belgian Francqui Chair at the Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve.
“I very much like the international contacts and the multidisciplinary characters of the ESF’s activities, programmes and initiatives. Since the landscape of European science policy and international institutions is now drastically changing, the ESF should also play a key role in the further development of synergies in science and of strategic choices in Europe”.
Professor Ceulemans has been an active member of LEE (formerly LESC) since 2003 and in 2006 his commitment with the Committee deepened after taking on the role of Core Group Member.
“The scientific disciplines covered by LEE (formerly LESC), include Life Sciences, Environmental and Geo-sciences, attract a lot of attention nowadays because they all have a number of hot and emergent topics. Examples are the upcoming molecular biological tools (genomics, metabolomics) that are being used to better understand how life processes function; declining species diversity and the threats of extreme events (extreme heat or drought) for ecosystems on earth; anthropogenic mass transfers of geological materials, and others” said Professor Ceulemans.
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Short biography of Professor Reinhart CEULEMANS
Reinhart Ceulemans (born in Wilrijk; 1954) is a full professor at the Department of Biology and vice-dean of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Antwerpen. He is spokesman for the research group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology (30 pers.) and the Director of the Research Center of Excellence ECO (90 pers.). Reinhart Ceulemans has a background in Biology (Ph.D. in 1980, Antwerpen), with a special emphasis on plant ecology. He has been a visiting Fulbright-professor at the University of Washington (Seattle, USA; 1987-1988) and a visiting professor at the Université Paris XI (Orsay-Paris, France; 1989). Since 1978 he has published over 220 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, he has edited 9 scientific volumes and books, and he has written more than 50 articles in popularising journals or volumes. During the period 1999-2005 Reinhart Ceulemans was among the 20 most cited authors in plant science. He is reviewer ofover 40 international scientific journals and the editor of two. Reinhart Ceulemans has been a principal investigator of more than 100 research projects (total of 10 million EUR), including 15 European research contracts. In 1990 he was honoured with the Scientific Achievement Award of the International Union of Forestry Research Organisations (IUFRO), and during the academic year 2006-2007 he was the titular of the Belgian Francqui Chair at the Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve. He has been the supervisor of more than 10 successfully completed Ph.D.’s and over 40 M.Sc. dissertations, and is presently supervising 6 doctoral students. At present he is the Chair of the LEE (formerly LESC) Standing Committee of the European Science Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Carbon Flux programme and of the Management Committee of various EC-COST actions, vice-chair of a scientific commission of the FWO-Flanders. In addition he is an active member of over 20 national committees and international scientific commissions, including IGBP, Federal Council for Durable Development. Reinhart Ceulemans is teaching courses which include Ecology, Plant Ecology and Plant Ecophysiology. His main research interests include a.o. global change and terrestrial ecosystems, renewable bio-energy resources, poplar ecophysiology, process modelling, plants under stress, and biodiversity.
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- Mr. Thomas LauE-Mail
