Herwig Leirs: 'There is no one right approach to organising a university'

In “Beneath the surface”, we deep dive into the mind of a UAntwerp researcher. Stroom digs for experiences, interests and motivations, in order to discover: what makes a scientist tick? This time, we put Rector Herwig Leirs in the spotlight.

 

He’s been affiliated to UAntwerp for 45 years. First as a biology student and president of student association Fabiant, later as researcher, professor, dean and chair of the Board of Governors. All of the national and international experience he gained have taught him a lot, not least about himself. And with all of this knowledge under his belt, he is now at the helm of UAntwerp as its rector.

International

In my career as a scientist, I have been lucky enough to travel the world. For my PhD, and also as a postdoc, I travelled to Tanzania for long periods to do fieldwork. Then I lived in Denmark with my family for five years. My wife and I really liked being there, but an offer I couldn’t refuse from the University of Antwerp, and the great distance to our friends and family, finally made us decide to return to Belgium. From here, too, I continued to work very internationally as a researcher, in Europe, in Central Asia and – particularly – in Africa. I look back with satisfaction on all those international experiences. They enrich you as a person. Every country has its own culture. Everyone does things their own way. Experiencing that puts things in perspective. There is no one right approach to conducting research or organising a university. By looking around you from time to time, you learn a lot, including about yourself.

Policy

Things already started back in secondary school, when I became chair of the student council. Later, the municipal youth council was added, followed by the environmental council. During my biology studies in Antwerp, I presided over student association Fabiant for three years. At university, I became a dean and for the past twenty years I have been a member of various advisory councils and boards of governors. So I have always enjoyed doing policy. But make no mistake: I have never been interested in power or honour. The real satisfaction comes from the impact you can have, from the changes – sometimes small – you can make. Networking is part of that, but it should never become an end in itself. Social contact is more than shaking hands and exchanging business cards. By engaging with others, you discover what is going on within an organisation.

Nature

My interest in nature has been very present ever since I was a teenager. A nice memory from that period: the Catholic secondary school I attended at the time was right next to Fort 5 in Edegem. Ownership of the military base had just been transferred to the municipality. It wasn’t open for the public yet; there was a lot of nature there and we were allowed to put up nest boxes. Discovering that old fort together with my comrades felt like a great adventure. By then, I had already made up my mind to study biology. Initially, I expected to become a teacher after my studies. But things turned out differently, and I ended up building an academic career. My research focused on small mammals, in particular the ecology of rodents. The critters damage agricultural crops and spread infectious diseases. At the same time, they are also animals with a highly developed sense of smell. With non-profit organisation APOPO, an NGO that our research group was involved in very early on, we train African hamster rats to detect landmines or tuberculosis in patient samples. This demonstrates how we can use scientific insights to improve the world.

Languages 

In another life, I might have become a teacher of Dutch. Language fascinates me. Not literature per se, but how different languages are related to each other. Besides Dutch, English, French and German, I also speak fluent Danish. In night school I took language classes in Russian and in Tanzania I picked up Swahili during my research. Whenever I hear a foreign language, I always try to find ways of identifying it. A bit like a biologist tries to classify animal species using taxonomy.

Science

It won’t come as a surprise to you that I have unquestionable faith in science. It is hard for me to accept something if there’s no evidence or reasonable theory backing it up. Data and figures create clarity. They show us the way. Having said that, I am entirely aware that this way of thinking isn’t infallible. My wife also regularly points this out to me. The world is anything but binary, and not all decisions can be based on hard facts. Fortunately, I find it easy to put myself into someone else’s shoes. During meetings or discussions, this helps me to better understand other people’s arguments or look at things from their perspective. Where do their concerns come from? What is the logic behind their reasoning? Do they perhaps have a point on some level? By thinking rigidly, you create your own fortress of righteousness. A flexible mind and empathy are allies for finding solutions.