Luc De Meester

Luc De Meester is a leading academic in aquatic ecology and evolutionary biology, currently serving as Director of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin, Professor of Freshwater Science at Freie Universität Berlin, and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at KU Leuven (20% appointment). His research integrates biodiversity, eco-evolutionary dynamics, and global change biology, with a focus on shallow lakes, pond ecosystems, and model organisms like Daphnia.

• Institution: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
• Professorship: Freshwater Science, Freie Universität Berlin
• Professor: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, KU Leuven (20%)

His research spans metacommunity ecology, evolutionary and stress ecology, ecological genomics, and eco-evolutionary dynamics, particularly examining responses to climate change, urbanization, and pollution. He employs experimental evolution, resurrection ecology, and multi-trait analyses to study local adaptation and regime shifts.

His recent publications (2023–2025) reflect a strong trend toward integrating eco-evolutionary dynamics with global change drivers, including artificial light at night, warfare-induced environmental disruption, and nutrient cycling in ponds. His work frequently involves large collaborative teams and leverages big data to understand biodiversity patterns across spatial and temporal scales.

• Francqui Foundation Research Professor Fellowship (2012–2014)
• Academy Laureate, Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgium (2003)
• Postdoctoral Fellowships: Max Planck Society, FWO
• PhD, Master, and Bachelor with Greatest Distinction (University of Gent)

De Meester has supervised over 35 PhDs and 24 postdocs, contributing significantly to academic training. He has led major research initiatives and served on editorial boards of top journals including Ecology Letters and Proceedings of the Royal Society B. He has also contributed to policy-oriented reports such as the '10 Must-Knows from Biodiversity Science'.

He leads the 'Evolving Metacommunities' research group at IGB, focusing on the interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes in freshwater systems under anthropogenic stress.