Karine Van Doninck is an evolutionary biologist, inspired by science and art but also by urban development, dedicated to push the frontiers of knowledge, while exploring and blurring the boundaries between disciplines.

As a full professor in biology at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Karine Van Doninck combines twin passions of research and education, inspiring the current generations of researchers, while promoting critical thinking in the next generation. In 2020 she founded the research unit of Molecular Biology and Evolution at ULB with her postdoctoral researcher Emilien Nicolas, strengthening fundamental research at the interface of molecular and evolutionary biology. Central to her research are micro-organisms called bdelloid rotifers, ancient all-female animals evolving with neither males nor sexual reproduction and exhibiting unique adaptations to survive the most hostile environments (freezing, desiccation, ionizing radiation and outer space). She and her research team study the underlying mechanisms of their evolution, while also disentangling the processes behind their adaptations to extreme environments. Combining interdisciplinary approaches to tackle biological questions is the strength of her research group, which was crowned by the award of a European Research Council (ERC Consolidator) grant to Karine Van Doninck in 2017 and a European Space Agency project, both to more deeply study and understand rotifers. Two experiments have already been launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station, with a third planned in 2024.