Ken Stedman has spent nearly 30 years chasing viruses into some of the harshest places on Earth, from boiling, acidic hot springs to sites where almost nothing else can live. Now he’s bringing that work to four Belgium universities through one of the country’s most prestigious scientific institutions.
The Portland State University biology professor, known around campus as the ‘Virus Hunter,’ has been named an International Collen-Francqui Professor for the 2026-27 academic year, an honor the Francqui Foundation reserves for scientists it considers among the best in their field.
The appointment is rare by design. It requires consensus among Belgium’s leading research universities, and the Francqui Foundation can leave a chair unfilled in any year in which no candidate meets its standards. Stedman’s nomination brought four institutions together behind one name: Vrije Universiteit Brussel as host, alongside KU Leuven, Ghent University and the University Catholique de Louvain. It was led by Professor Eveline Peeters of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, part of a network Stedman has built over nearly three decades of work with Belgian scientists.
The Francqui Foundation, created in 1932, is best known for the Francqui Prize, an award so central to Belgian science that it is often called the country’s Nobel. The “Collen” in the title marks the life sciences focus of the chair. It honors Belgian scientist Désiré Collen, who discovered the value of a drug that dissolves dangerous blood clots and has saved the lives of heart attack and stroke patients worldwide.
Viruses from hell
Stedman’s research asks how viruses copy themselves, evolve, and above all, survive in conditions that would destroy most forms of life. He runs Portland State’s Extreme Virus Laboratory, part of the university’s Center for Life in Extreme Environments, and his work has extended beyond basic biology into efforts to develop more stable vaccines.
“This appointment shows that PSU is not only letting knowledge serve the city, but also letting knowledge serve the world,” Stedman said.
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During the residency, set for January through June 2027, Stedman will work with students across the four campuses, deliver an inaugural lecture, join Belgian research groups and close with a symposium. His lecture will likely carry the title he has used for years, “Viruses from Hell,” a nod to the punishing heat and acid of the places where the viruses thrive.
The appointment is already reaching Portland State students. Graduate researcher Jono Abshier worked closely with a visiting Belgian doctoral student in Stedman’s lab, and Stedman expects the chair to bring more Belgian students to Portland, opening new collaborations and virus-analysis techniques for PSU researchers.
Stedman is a past recipient of Portland State’s Presidential Career Research Award, given to him in 2023. He is also the second PSU faculty member in three years to hold a Francqui professorship; Steven Thorne, a professor in World Languages and Literatures, held one in the 2024-25 year.
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