Rate My Professor Patrick Callaerts

Professor Patrick Callaerts is a full professor in the Faculty of Medicine at KU Leuven, serving as Chair of the Department of Human Genetics since 2020, Head of the Laboratory of Behavioral and Developmental Genetics, and Vice Rector of the Biomedical Sciences Group with responsibilities in Administrative Simplification & Governance and Human Resources. Born in 1964, he obtained a licentiate degree in biology in 1986 and a doctoral degree in sciences (zoology) in 1992, followed by postdoctoral research at the Biozentrum in Basel, Switzerland. Callaerts began his academic career in 1997 as an assistant professor at the University of Houston, advancing to tenured associate professor before returning to KU Leuven in 2004, where he was promoted to full professor in 2018.

His research specializes in behavioral and developmental genetics, employing Drosophila melanogaster and other insects such as honey bees and aphids as model organisms to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of behavior, sensory processing, metabolism, social interactions, stress responses, and nutritional needs, including the role of the gut microbiome. Notable contributions include co-authoring the seminal 1995 paper in Science, 'Induction of Ectopic Eyes by Targeted Expression of the eyeless Gene in Drosophila,' which identified the eyeless gene as a master regulator of eye development. Other key publications encompass 'Hearing regulates Drosophila aggression' (PNAS, 2017), 'Genome-wide analysis identifies Homothorax and Extradenticle as regulators of wing imaginal disc development' (PLOS Genetics, 2022), and 'Reference genes to study the sex-biased expression of odorant-binding proteins in Drosophila suzukii' (Scientific Reports, 2024). With nearly 8,000 citations across 154 publications, his work has profoundly shaped understanding in genetics, developmental biology, neuroscience, and behavioral ecology. As department chair and vice rector, Callaerts plays a pivotal role in academic leadership and policy at KU Leuven.