My current research focuses on four major intersecting research lines (See 'Declerck group' for more information)
- Rapid evolutionary adaptation of zooplankton to a changing world
- Ecological stoichiometry of zooplankton
- Ecological divergence in the Brachionus calyciflorus cryptic species complex
- Patterns of aquatic biodiversity at local and regional scales
Education
- 1990 Bachelor degree in biology (Ghent University)
- 1992 Masters degree in zoology (Ghent University)
- 2001 PhD (Ghent University), with greatest distinction (supervisors: H.J. Dumont and L. De Meester)
Employment
- 1998-2004 scientific researcher at the Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, KULeuven
- 2004-2010 postdoctoral FWO-fellow at the Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, KULeuven
- 2010 – present tenured senior scientist at the Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology
- 2018-2019 guest professor at KULeuven (Belgium)
- 2019 - present associate professor "Community Ecology and Aquatic Foodwebs" at KULeuven
Grants
- 1994 –1998 PhD-grant from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen)
- 2004 – 2007 Post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen)
- 2007 – 2010 Post-doctoral grant from FWO-Vlaanderen
- 2007 – 2008 Mobility grant from FWO-Vlaanderen for a one year stay at the laboratory of prof. Jon Shurin (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada)
- 2012-2016 Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO; ALW-OBW/16; budget: 247,032 EURO): ‘Development of effective strategies for the conservation and development of landscape wide aquatic biodiversity in agricultural areas’.
- 2014-2018 Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO; ALW1PJ/13020; budget: 241,300 EURO): ‘Rapid evolution of zooplankton under conditions of stoichiometric imbalance: Consequences for ecosystem functions and trophic interactions’
- 2014 NIOO Innovative Research Grant (budget: 40,000 EURO; joint project with M. Bezemer): ‘Resources and biotic interactions in a metacommunity context’
- 2015 NIOO Innovative Research Grant (budget: 30,000 EURO; joint project with K. Verhoeven): ‘Rapid rotifer adaptation – an investigation into the adaptive potential of asexual lineages’
- 2016 Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO; ALWOB.2016.003; ‘Inzetten op toepassing’ ALW1PJ/13020; budget: 10,000 EURO): ‘Ecologische verduurzaming van agrarische landschappen: naar een wetenschappelijk gefundeerde beheersvisie voor Polder Oukoop’
PhD-students
Ongoing PhD-projects:
- Kimberley Lemmen (NIOO-KNAW; promotors: E. van Donk and S. Declerck)
- Zhang Wei (NIOO-KNAW; promotors: E. van Donk and S. Declerck)
- Shuwen Han (NIOO-KNAW and WUR; promotors: S. Declerck and P. van den Brink)
Defended:
- Ximena Aguilera (2006; KULeuven; promotors: L. De Meester and S. Declerck)
- Tadesse Dejenie (2008; KULeuven; promotors: L. De Meester and S. Declerck)
- Jorge Coronel (2009; KULeuven; promotors: L. Brendonck and S. Declerck)
- Maarten Vanderstukken (2011; KULeuven; promotors: K. Muylaert and S. Declerck)
- Sarah Rousseaux (2011; KULeuven; promotors: L. De Meester and S. Declerck)
- Mekonen Teferi (2013; KULeuven; promotors: L. De Meester, Jos Snoeks and S. Declerck)
- Pieter Lemmens (2014; KULeuven; promotors: L. De Meester and S. Declerck)
- Sven Teurlincx (2019; NIOO-KNAW; promotors: E. van Donk and S. Declerck)
- Zhou Libin (2019; NIOO-KNAW; promotors: E. van Donk and S. Declerck)
Editorial board memberships
- OIKOS (since 2016)
- Journal of Plankton Research (since 2012)
- Hydrobiologia (2006-2009)
Invited talks and keynote addresses on symposia and conferences (since 2010)
- Xth Symposium of European Freshwater Sciences (SEFS), 2017, Olomouc, Czech Republic (Plenary talk)
- XIVth International Rotifer Symposium, 2015, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic (Keynote)
- ASLO-meeting, 2015, Granada, Spain (Invited tutorial talk)
- 4th International conference of the Research Network on Amazonian Ichtyofauna, 2014, Cochabamba, Bolivia (Keynote)
- Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, 2014, Portland, USA (Invited speaker)
- 1st Symposium of Freshwater Ecology of China, Ecological Society of China (ESC), 2013, Guangzhou, China (Keynote)
- Community Assembly Symposium, 2012, EAWAG, Dübendorf, Switzerland (Invited speaker)
- 5th Symposium of the European Pond Conservation Network (EPCN), 2012, Luxembourg, Luxembourg (Keynote)
- 4th Symposium of the European Pond Conservation Network, 2010, Berlin, Germany (Keynote)
- BELSPO Open Science Meeting, 2010, Brussels, Belgium (Invited speaker)
Participation in international workshops (Since 2010)
- 'SMIRES' meeting (Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams; Cost Action), Working Group 4: Metacommunities, Pecs, Hungary, 30-31 January 2018 (Organizers: Thibault Datry, Rachel Stubbington, Jani Heino)
- 'Nature4Life Biodiversity workshop', Sao Paulo, Brazil, 27-30.11.2016 (Organizers: Koos Biesmeijer and Johan Mol, Naturalis)
- ‘sCAFE II: Community Assembly and the Functioning of Ecosystems in Open Systems’, The Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv), Leipzig, Germany, 13-17.6.2016 (Organizers: Mathew Leibold and Ernest Morgan)
- ‘sCAFE I: Community Assembly and the Functioning of Ecosystems in Open Systems’, The Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv), Leipzig, Germany, 29.2-4.3.2016 (Organizers: Mathew Leibold and Ernest Morgan)
- ‘Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships (sTOICH FUN), The Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv), Leipzig, Germany, 2013 (Organizer: Helmut Hillebrand)
- ‘Eco-evolutionary dynamics’, Lorentz Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2013 (Organizers: Stephanie Jenouvrier, Tom Reed, and Marcel Visser)
- ‘Community Phylogenetics’ workshop, UQAM, Montreal, Canada, 2012 (Organizers: Allison Derry and Beatrice Beisner)
- ‘SNF Community Assembly’ workshop, EAWAG, Luzern, Switzerland, 2012 (Organizer: Blake Matthews)
Other academic activities and achievements
- Expert panel Bio3 (Biodiversity and Ecology) of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) (2013-2018)
- Expert of the European Commission for the evaluation of projects on biodiversity (since 2013)
- Outstanding Reviewer of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO, 2012)
- Reviewer for the journals: Ecology Letters, American Naturalist, Ecology, Proceedings of the Royal Society-B, Oecologia, Oikos, Journal of Animal Ecology, Global Ecology and Biogeography, Journal of Applied Ecology, Ecography, ISME Journal, PLOS ONE, Journal of Biogeography, Freshwater Biology, Limnology and Oceanography, Hydrobiologia