During my veterinary studies I became fascinated by the keeping and care of Koi. My friends had already instilled in me a love for ponds and fish, but it was at university that I began to keep and care for my own aquariums and to search for more information in all the courses and books I could find. Fortunately, at the university I had Prof. Dr. A. Decostere, who specialized in this field and was willing to let me write my thesis on fish diseases. During my studies, Koen Vandenbussche, the manager of Wase Vijverwinkel, also gave me the opportunity to gain work experience and through KOI2000 I contributed to the magazine, the Koi shows, lectures and so on. As a veterinarian, I quickly became a member of working groups among colleagues, joined the European Association of Fish Pathologists, the Fish Vet Society, the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association, etc., through which I now have very good contacts with colleagues and specialists at home and abroad. After graduation, I also attended parts of the Master of Science in Aquaculture at the Faculty of Bioengineering, which was very enriching.
During my career so far, I have participated in research projects at KULeuven with Professor Kris Willems for the development of a DNA-based multiscan diagnostic tool, sat on the jury for the defense of a Ph.D. thesis on vibriosis, co-authored several groundbreaking papers on cancer in fish and special fish diseases with the team of Prof. Luciana Mandrioli of the University of Bologna, and so on. Standing still figuratively (but also literally) is not for me, I prefer to look beyond my nose and search for any missing link. I have been married to Annelies since 2011 and am the proud father of a daughter, Clara, born in 2012. In our free time we love to travel, do culinary trips, have fun together and discover new cultures, be active, take a ride with the oldtimer, … In winter I like to be on skis as much as possible and I love to be in the mountains and make beautiful descents together with my skiing buddy Clara.