Thomas Van Leeuwen

Thomas Van Leeuwen is a full professor at Ghent University’s Department of Plants and Crops, Belgium. His research focuses on understanding adaptation mechanisms in crop pests, particularly spider mites (Tetranychus urticae). He was among the first to uncover the molecular basis of acaricide resistance. His team’s expertise in genomic mapping has enabled the discovery of resistance mechanisms and the molecular modes of action of various insecticides and acaricides. Van Leeuwen also investigates host plant adaptation and the molecular genetics of gene regulation related to xenobiotic resistance, including cis- and trans-regulatory variation, expression QTL mapping, and gene copy number variation. His research further explores the development of reverse genetic tools such as RNA interference (RNAi) and CRISPR/Cas9 for spider mites and challenging insect species.