Prof.  Marc Coosemans, was head of the Unit of Entomology and Vector Control, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp (ITMA), Belgium.

He has longstanding research experience on insect vectors of diseases and their control. From 1976 to 1978 he evaluated the first pyrethroid insecticides against malaria vectors in Burkina Faso. In the 1980s, based on epidemiological data he designed and evaluated a strategy minimalizing the number of rounds of indoor residual spraying (IRS) and Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) in the rice field area of the Rusizi Valley- Burundi. Networks and research activities on vector biology and malaria transmission were developed in Africa (Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Burkina Faso) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka).   At ITM he supervised different research projects on the biological cycle of trypanosomes in tsetse flies.

Two research topics were further developed. The first one is how to tackle the residual malaria transmission, e.g. transmission not covered by the main vector control methods (ITNs and IRS). This would be crucial for achieving malaria elimination. He was leading a large cluster randomized trial in Cambodia to assess the additional impact of topical repellents on malaria. The second research topic was on taxonomic and functional biodiversity of native and invasive mosquitoes in Europe and in tropical countries and their risk for introduction of new vector borne diseases.

As WHO expert he chaired the working group of the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme during more than 10 years and was also actively involved in evaluating new public health control tools.

Professor Coosemans was actively involved in teaching at ITMA and the University of Antwerp but also in France (Institut Pasteur) and the Netherlands (KIT). He retired in 2018 as Professor emeritus of ITMA.