Jean-Claude Dujardin

Jean-Claude Dujardin is a full professor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium, where he heads the Unit of Molecular Parasitology and serves as head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. He holds a 10% affiliation as an associate professor at the University of Antwerp's Department of Biomedical Sciences and is a visiting lecturer at UNamur. His academic journey includes a Zoology degree from Facultés Notre Dame de la Paix (1983), a diploma in Tropical Medical Biology from ITM (1984), and a Doctor in Science (Zoology) from the Free University of Brussels (1995).

His research focuses on Leishmania parasites and the diseases they cause, emphasizing molecular biology, genomics, and drug resistance. He pioneered Leishmania genomics, established the first L. donovani reference genome, and led sequencing of 300 clinical isolates. His work integrates genomic data with ecological and clinical contexts, revealing parasite adaptation mechanisms. He has coordinated seven EU-funded projects, fostering international networks.

Key contributions include elucidating treatment failure mechanisms (drug resistance, quiescence, viral infections) and developing standardized molecular tools for diagnostics and epidemiology. He has supervised 28 PhD students, 34 MSc students, and 13 postdocs, contributing to global capacity-building. His research spans from basic biology to translational applications, with a focus on neglected tropical diseases.

Notable grants include the MRC Cruzi Grant (2024–2027) and LeishMAP (2023–2026), addressing genomic instability and aneuploidy in parasites. His work is published in high-impact journals like Nature Communications and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, with an h-index of 51 (WoS, 2021).