Benny Borremans received his PhD in Biology at the University of Antwerp in 2015, supervised by Herwig Leirs ( Global Change Ecology Centre , Research Group Evolutionary Ecology ) and Jonas Reijniers. Benny investigated the distribution of the Morogoro virus in rodent populations in Tanzania, in cooperation with the Sokoine University of Agriculture.
A combination of experiments in the wild and in the laboratory allowed Benny to quantify how long rodents can be contagious, and how contact intensity with other individuals depends on population density. This knowledge is crucial, since multiple animal species have a seasonal reproduction, resulting in strong periodic variations in population density.
The Henri Schouteden-price rewards important original work on faunistics (preferentially in Africa), systematics, ecology, ethology or anatomy of animals and is handed out every two year.
