Meet the seven new vice rectors and their areas of responsibility. Together with Rector Severine Vermeire, they form the executive team for 2025–2029 and are responsible for the daily management of the University.
On Tuesday, May 20, Severine Vermeire was elected as the new Rector of KU Leuven. In the following weeks, she focused on assembling her executive team. In June, she presented her proposal for the Vice Rectors to KU Leuven’s governing bodies, who approved it.
The Group Vice Rectors are:
Patrick Callaerts
Vice Rector for the Biomedical Sciences Group
Administrative Simplification & Governance and Human Resources
Professor Patrick Callaerts (*1964) has been department chair of the Department of Human Genetics since 2020. He obtained a licentiate degree in biology in 1986 and a doctoral degree in sciences (zoology) in 1992. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Biozentrum in Basel. In 1997, he began his academic career as an assistant and later as a tenured associate professor at the University of Houston. He returned to Leuven in 2004 and became a full professor in 2018.
Dirk Hermans
Vice Rector for the Humanities and Social Sciences Group
Libraries and Human Resources
Professor Dirk Hermans (*1968) is a professor of clinical psychology and has served as dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences since 2023. He obtained a licentiate degree in psychology in 1991 and a doctoral degree in psychology in 1996. He is a certified behavioural therapist (KU Leuven, 1995). Between 1996 and 2002, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). He has been a full professor since 2008.
Stefaan Vaes
Vice Rector for the Science, Engineering and Technology Group
Culture, Art & Heritage and Human Resources
Professor Stefaan Vaes (*1976) is a mathematician. He has been head of the Analysis Division of the Department of Mathematics since 2011, and has chaired Metaforum, KU Leuven’s interdisciplinary think tank, since 2020. He obtained a licentiate degree in mathematics in 1998 and a doctoral degree in mathematics in 2001 with a dissertation about functional analysis. He spent several years as a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris and returned to KU Leuven in 2006. He has been a full professor since 2012.
The Academic Council has issued a positive recommendation. The Board of Governors has submitted their appointments to the Board of Trustees, which has officially appointed them as Vice Rectors and members of the Board of Governors.
The other Vice Rectors are:
Isabelle Huys
Vice Rector for Research Policy
Impact and Global Development
Professor Isabelle Huys (*1976) has been head of the Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy since 2020. She is a pharmacist and obtained her doctoral degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (toxicology) in 2004. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship and specialised in intellectual property law in Munich. In 2023–2024, she served as an advisor in the cabinet of Public Health. She has been a board member of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences since 2020. She was appointed full professor in 2023.
Evelyne Terryn
Vice Rector for KU Leuven Kulak
Sustainability
Professor Evelyne Terryn (*1974) was campus dean of the Faculty of Law and Criminology from 2012 to 2019 and has been a member of the KU Leuven Kulak Campus Council, Management Committee and Executive Committee since 2021. She is the campus sustainability coordinator.
She obtained a licentiate degree in law in 1997 and a postgraduate degree (MJur) at Oxford in 1998. She obtained a doctoral degree in law in 2005 and subsequently became a professor in corporate and consumer law at the Faculty of Law. She has been a full professor since 2018.
Margriet Van Bael
Vice Rector for Educational Policy
Artificial Intelligence
Professor Margriet Van Bael (*1972) is a professor in experimental solid state physics and has served as vice dean for education at the Faculty of Science since 2022. She obtained her licentiate degree in physics in 1994 and her doctoral degree in sciences - physics in 1998. After her doctorate, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). In 2006, she was appointed BOF-ZAP professor at KU Leuven. She has been a full professor at KU Leuven since 2020.
Tom Van Puyenbroeck
Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Diversity Policy
Alumni and Emeritus Professors
Professor Tom Van Puyenbroeck (*1969) has been academic director of the Brussels campuses since 2020. He obtained his doctoral degree in economics in 1999 and immediately became an advisor to the Minister of Social Affairs and Pensions. He later taught at the former Ehsal and Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles, and returned to KU Leuven in 2013. He has been a full professor since 2022.
The Academic Council has issued a positive recommendation and the Board of Governors has officially appointed them as Vice Rectors.
This completes the composition of KU Leuven’s Executive Bureau (Gebu). In addition to the Rector and Vice Rectors, Professor Wim Desmet, the Managing Director, is also a member of the Executive Board. The new team will take office on 1 August 2025, and will be responsible for the daily management of the University.
This article was first published on 15 September by KU Leuven.
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