PSU virologist Ken Stedman named Collen-Francqui Professor in Belgium

Most people around Portland State already know Ken Stedman, or at least know of him: the biology professor known as the university's virus hunter who goes looking for viruses in volcanic hot springs hot enough to scald and acidic enough to burn. The marvel of his work has never been that these viruses are dangerous. It is that anything can survive in a place like that at all, and that these viruses do more than survive - they copy themselves and evolve. Stedman has spent his career asking how.

Now, that work is taking him to Belgium. Stedman 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 "Collen" name honors Désiré Collen, the Belgian scientist who discovered the value of a clot-dissolving drug now used to treat heart attacks and strokes.

Getting the appointment is hard on purpose. It requires consensus among Belgium's leading research universities, and the Francqui Foundation can leave a chair empty if no one meets its standard. Four institutions lined up behind Stedman: Vrije Universiteit Brussel as his host, alongside KU Leuven, Ghent University and the University Catholique de Louvain. Getting four universities to agree on one scientist is no small feat.

For anyone who knows Stedman's work, the choice was no surprise - though Stedman remains characteristically modest about the honor.

The appointment grew out of a long history. Stedman has worked with Belgian colleagues for close to 30 years, and his nomination was led by Professor Eveline Peeters at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, with Stedman helping connect her with other universities.

What he is most looking forward to is working with Belgian students. Stedman plans to spend most of his residency working with young researchers.

"What I want to pass on is not just a result or a technique, but a habit of mind: stay curious and keep an open mind," Stedman said.

Portland State students are already part of the story. Graduate researcher Jono Abshier worked alongside a visiting Belgian doctoral student in Stedman's lab, and Stedman expects this appointment to bring more Belgian students to Portland, along with new collaborations and methods.

"This appointment shows that PSU is not only letting knowledge serve the city, but also letting knowledge serve the world," Stedman said.

The award marks the second time in three years a PSU faculty member has earned a Francqui professorship; World Languages and Literatures professor Steven Thorne held a position in 2024-25. Stedman was previously awarded PSU's Presidential Career Research Award in 2023.