Prof. Bernard De Baets is a senior full professor in applied mathematics at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering of Ghent University, a top-ranked Belgian university. He is leading the research unit KERMIT and acts as head of the Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling. He has been an affiliated professor at the Anton de Kom Universiteit (Suriname). Bernard is an Honorary Professor of Budapest Tech (Hungary), a Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Turku (Finland), a Profesor Invitado of the Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de las Villas (Cuba) and a Professor Extraordinarius of the University of South Africa. As a trained mathematician, computer scientist and knowledge engineer, Bernard has developed a passion for multi- and interdisciplinary research.

While being deeply involved in fundamental research in three interlaced research threads, namely knowledge-based, predictive and spatio-temporal modelling, he also aims at innovative applications in bioscience engineering. Over the past 25 years, 108 PhD students have graduated under his (co-)supervision. Bernard is a prolific writer, with a bibliography comprising over 700 peer-reviewed journal papers, accumulating more than 36000 Google Scholar citations (h-index 91). Several of his works have been bestowed upon with a best paper award. Moreover, he is a much-invited speaker, having delivered over 250 lectures world-wide. He actively serves the research community, in particular as co-editor-in-chief of Fuzzy Sets and Systems and as a member of the editorial board of several other journals. In 2011, he was elected Fellow of IFSA (International Fuzzy Systems Association) and, in 2012, he was a nominee for the Ghent University Prometheus Award for Research. In 2019, he received the EUSFLAT Scientific Excellence Award and in 2021 he was declared an Honorary Member of the EUSFLAT Society.