Two Dutch honorary degrees for the Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst

Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst can expect two Dutch honorary doctorates: one from the Free University of Amsterdam (VU) and one from the University of Leiden.

The VU calls Van Ranst a valued media expert and interpreter. In crown time, he became the target of lawsuits and threats due to that public role. The VU finds it troubling that “even” scientists cannot speak freely at this time. “With this honorary doctorate, we want to underline the important role that Marc Van Ranst has played in scientific communication, as well as his perseverance and courage to speak out as a scientist against crown skeptics,” says Chancellor Magnificus Jeroen Geurts.

The University of Leiden honors Van Ranst for his contributions to epidemiology and virology and for his role as advisor to the Belgian government in crown times. “You are also a tireless communicator, who makes the sound of reason heard firmly through television, radio and newspapers, but also social media”, writes the rector Magnificus Bijl in the letter in which he offers him an honorary degree.

Van Ranst is professor of virology at the Catholic University of Leuven. During the crown crisis, he was one of the most important advisers to the Belgian government. This led to the threats of antivaxes.

In May last year, he and his family went into hiding when one of his threats, a Belgian professional soldier, was found missing, carrying weapons he had taken from the barracks. After a week of manhunting, the man committed suicide in a forest in Belgian Limburg.

The VU wants to award an honorary doctorate to Van Ranst on November 17 and the University of Leiden on February 8.