Speaker: Prof. Arnold De Loof (Department of Biology, the University of Leuven, Belgium)
Time: 4:00 pm, 20th October, Thursday 
Place: Room 616, College of Plant Protection

Introduction of the speaker:
De Loof received his degree of Bio-engineer from the University of Ghent, Belgium.He went to the Agricultural University of Wageningen, The Netherlands for his Ph.D. specialization in insect physiology. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in 1969.He further specialized in developmental biology in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Howard Schneiderman, University of California in Irvine (1972-1973).In 1973, He became a lecture in the Department of Biology, Zoology, at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and started a research team working on invertebrate physiology.Full professor in 1977His team identified dozens of novel neuropeptides, mainly from insects. His work substantially contributed to the contemporary view in comparative endocrinology that the basic principles of the neuro-endocrine system were already present in the common ancestor of vertebrates and invertebrates and have since been very well conserved in evolution. The unravelling of signalling systems and biochemical communication pathways have been at the centre of his lifelong research.De Loof was quite successful in grant applications, both at the national and international (EU) level. He trained over 60 Ph.D. students and published over 450 papers. He was awarded a prestigious scientific prize in Belgium. From 1994 till 1998 De Loof was President of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinologists.

College of Plant Protection