A bioengineering expert, Prof. Spiros Agathos has received two prestigious international awards. This is an honour for UCLouvain, a university renowned worldwide for its excellence.
Professor emeritus in the Faculty of Bioengineering, Spiros Agathos has recently been appointed fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. He is being honoured “for his contributions to environmental and synthetic biotechnology and bioengineering, with particular emphasis on the development of biocatalysts, optimisation of bioprocesses for the production of metabolites from bacteria, fungi and algae.”
Prof. Agathos was also recently elected a member of the Academia Europaea (AE) for 2021, together with Yurii Nesterov, professor emeritus of the Louvain School of Engineering. Both have joined the prestigious european academy of sciences, humanities and letters. Prof. Agathos was recognised for his contributions to research, education and leadership in bioengineering, and specifically for his interdisciplinary work in biochemical engineering, microbiology and biocatalysis. His discoveries have had a major impact in the field of sustainable technologies for health, industry and the environment.
To Prof. Agathos, this dual distinction is an honour: “I’m deeply touched by this honour because it highlights the work of my students and collaborators in the Earth and Life Institute (ELI) and the Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST). This recognition also contributes to our university’s international reputation. I’m very proud of this.”
UCLouvain is the highest-ranking Belgian university in the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the most international universities.