Simon Baeckens

Professeur

SST/SC Faculty of Science (SC)

SST/SC/BIOL Ecole de biologie (BIOL)

SST/ELI Earth and Life Institute (ELI)

SST/ELI/ELIV Ecology and Biodiversity (ELIV)

Dr. Simon Baeckens is a professor at the Earth and Life Institute (ELI) where he is head of the laboratory for Animal Evolutionary Ecology. His research explores how, and how fast, animals respond to environmental change, particularly changes driven by human activity. The group's work integrates behavioral, ecological, functional morphological, physiological, and phylogenetic perspectives, combining both field-based experiments and comparative analyses. While their studies span diverse vertebrate taxa, lizards and snakes frequently serve as model organisms for addressing fundamental questions in ecology and evolution.

Postal address

ELIV - Carnoy
L7.07.04
Croix du sud 4-5
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve

ELI

SC12 - Carnoy
Floor 01 Office C 155
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve

Academic positions
1 Sept. 2025 Assistant Professor, Head of the Animal Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Earth & Life Institute
Université catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium)

2021 – 2025 Postdoc Fellow, EON Lab, Biology Department
Ghent University and University of Antwerp (Belgium)

2019 – 2020 Postdoc Fellow, Shine & Whiting Lab, School of Natural Sciences,
Macquarie University (Sydney, NSW, Australia).

2018 – 2021 Postdoc Fellow, Functional Morphology Lab, Biology Department (one-year gap to visit Macquarie University)
University of Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium)

2017 - 2018 Postdoc Fellow, Losos Lab, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, USA)

Education
2012 - 2017 Ph.D. in Biology, University of Antwerp (Belgium), awarded on March 3, 2017 (Raoul Van Damme Lab)
2010 - 2012 MSc. in Behaviour and Evolutionary Biology, University of Antwerp (Belgium).
2007 - 2010 BSc. in Biology, University of Antwerp (Belgium).

Major fellowships
2021 Senior Postdoctoral fellowship (4y), The Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
2018 Junior Postdoctoral fellowship (3y), The Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
2017 Postdoctoral fellowship (1y), Belgian American Education Foundation (BAEF)

Major research grants
2025 - 2028 Collen-Francqui Start-Up Grant (€200k), Francqui Foundation

Organisation of scientific meetings
2023 Head Organiser, First International Congress on Rapid Evolution in the Anthropocene, (Antwerp) Belgium

Professional service
Editor for:
2017 - now Biology Letters, Editorial Board Member
2018 - now Belgian Journal of Zoology, Editorial Board Member
2017 - 2025 Journal of Zoology, Editorial Board Member
2017 - 2025 Acta Herpetologica, Associate Editor
2021 Behaviour, Editor of Special Issue on Reptile Cognition

Reviewer for over 60 journals with 113 verified peer reviews. Awarded Top 1% Peer Reviewer in 2018 (Clarivate)

Member of expert panel in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution (Bio3) for the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), 2025-2027

Year	Label	School
2012	Ph.D. in Biology	Rijksuniversitaire Centrum Antwerpen (Belgique)
2010	M.Sc. in Behavior and Evolutionary Biology	Rijksuniversitaire Centrum Antwerpen (Belgique)
2007	B.Sc. in Biology	Rijksuniversitaire Centrum Antwerpen (Belgique)

Learning units for 2025

Label	Code
Biological evolution	LBIO1310
Functional ecology	LBIO1317
Special issues in evolution	LBIO1350
Advanced and applied evolutionary biology	LBOE2111

2026

Journal article

Gavriilidi, I., Baeckens, S., Pafilis, P., & Van Damme, R. (2026). Creatures of habit: similar but more repeatable behaviours in insular compared with mainland lizards. Animal Behaviour, 233, 123493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123493 (Original work published 2026)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/276029

2025

Journal article

Zhang, J., Baeckens, S., Van Damme, R., & Wanieck, K. (2025). Overlooked sources of inspiration in biomimetic research. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 25590. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11703-6 (Original work published 2025)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263155

Annear, E., Van Linden, L., MacLaren, J. A., Baeckens, S., Broeckhoven, C., & Van Damme, R. (2025). Intraspecific variation in osteoderm morphology in a cordylid lizard. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 205(4), zlaf184. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf184 (Original work published 2025)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267624

Gavriilidi, I., Baeckens, S., Van Linden, L., & Van Damme, R. (2025). On the flick of the tongue: male island and mainland lizards’ responses to self and conspecific chemical stimuli. Journal of Zoology, 327(2), 207-219. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.70046 (Original work published 2025)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263157

Baeckens, S., & Donihue, C. M. (2025). Evolutionary consequences of extreme climate events. Current Biology, 35(17), R850-R864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.046 (Original work published 2025)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/248950

Baeckens, S., Martín, J., Pafilis, P., Herrel, A., & Donihue, C. M. (2025). Temporal dynamics of scent mark composition in field‐experimental lizard populations. Functional Ecology (Online), 39(1), 154-164. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14687 (Original work published 2025)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267600

Baeckens, S., Martín, J., Zoran, T., Van den Camp, E., Sacchi, R., Van Damme, R., & Mangiacotti, M. (2025). Non-adaptive processes explain chemical signal divergence in island lizards. Oikos : a journal of ecology, 2025(e11743), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/oik.11743 (Original work published 2025)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/260616

2024

Journal article

Bock, D. G., Baeckens, S., Kolbe, J. J., & Losos, J. B. (2024). When adaptation is slowed down: Genomic analysis of evolutionary stasis in thermal tolerance during biological invasion in a novel climate. Molecular Ecology, 33(10), e17075. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17075 (Original work published 2024)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267604

2023

Journal article

Shine, R., & Baeckens, S. (2023). Rapidly evolved traits enable new conservation tools: perspectives from the cane toad invasion of Australia. Evolution : international journal of organic evolution, 77(8), 1744-1755. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpad102 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263167

Mangiacotti, M., Baeckens, S., Fumagalli, M., Martín, J., Scali, S., & Sacchi, R. (2023). Sexual Selection and Proteinaceous Diversity in the Femoral Gland Secretions of Lacertid Lizards. Diversity, 15(6), 777. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15060777 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263173

Leitão, H. G., Diedericks, G., Broeckhoven, C., Baeckens, S., & Svardal, H. (2023). Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of the Cape Cliff Lizard Hemicordylus capensis. Genome Biology and Evolution, 15(2), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evad001 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267555

Ashton, B. J., & Baeckens, S. (2023). Digest: environmental variability as a constraint on cognitive evolution in lizards. Evolution : international journal of organic evolution, 77(2), 625-626. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpac059 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267579

Lyons, S., Baeckens, S., & Van Wassenbergh, S. (2023). Upper beak depression instead of elevation dominates cranial kinesis in woodpeckers. Biology Letters, 19(6), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0148 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263168

Banfi, F., Meiri, S., Shine, R., Van Damme, R., & Baeckens, S. (2023). Foraging mode constrains the evolution of cephalic horns in lizards and snakes. Biology Letters, 19(11), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0395 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263159

Baeckens, S., Losos, J. B., Irschick, D. J., Kolbe, J. J., & Bock, D. G. (2023). Introduction history and hybridization determine the hydric balance of an invasive lizard facing a recent climate niche shift. Evolution : international journal of organic evolution, 77(1), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpac017 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267605

Baeckens, S., Meiri, S., & Shine, R. (2023). Foraging mode affects extinction risk of snakes and lizards, but in different ways. Conservation Letters, 16(5), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12977 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263166

Mangiacotti, M., Baeckens, S., Fumagalli, M., Martín, J., Scali, S., & Sacchi, R. (2023). Protein–lipid Association in Lizard Chemical Signals. Integrative organismal biology, 5(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obad016 (Original work published 2023)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267606

2022

Journal article

Gavriilidi, I., Baeckens, S., De Meester, G., Van Linden, L., & Van Damme, R. (2022). The gullible genius: fast learners fall for fake news. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 76(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03122-0 (Original work published 2022)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267578

Gavriilidi, I., De Meester, G., Van Damme, R., & Baeckens, S. (2022). How to behave when marooned: the behavioural component of the island syndrome remains underexplored. Biology Letters, 18(4), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0030 (Original work published 2022)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263271

Goyens, J., Baeckens, S., Smith, E. St. J., Pozzi, J., & Mason, M. J. (2022). Parallel evolution of semicircular canal form and sensitivity in subterranean mammals. Journal of Comparative Physiology A : sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, 208(5-6), 627-640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-022-01578-7 (Original work published 2022)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263272

2021

Journal article

Mangiacotti, M., Baeckens, S., Scali, S., Martín, J., Van Damme, R., & Sacchi, R. (2021). Evolutionary and biogeographical support for species-specific proteins in lizard chemical signals. Biological journal of the Linnean Society, 134(4), 912-928. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blab131 (Original work published 2021)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264239

Baeckens, S., Temmerman, M., Gorb, S. N., Neto, C., Whiting, M. J., & Van Damme, R. (2021). Convergent evolution of skin surface microarchitecture and increased skin hydrophobicity in semi-aquatic anole lizards. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 224(19), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.242939 (Original work published 2021)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263276

Martinez, A., Nguyen, D., Basson, M. S., Medina, J., Irschick, D. J., & Baeckens, S. (2021). Quantifying surface topography of biological systems from 3D scans. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12(7), 1265-1276. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.13603 (Original work published 2021)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264240

De Meester, G., & Baeckens, S. (2021). Reinstating reptiles: from clueless creatures to esteemed models of cognitive biology. Behaviour : an international journal of behaviourial biology, 158(12-13), 1057-1076. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539x-00003718 (Original work published 2021)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264238

Baeckens, S., & Whiting, M. J. (2021). Investment in chemical signalling glands facilitates the evolution of sociality in lizards. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 288(1945), 20202438. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2438 (Original work published 2021)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264244

Bock, D. G., Baeckens, S., Pita-Aquino, J. N., Chejanovski, Z. A., Michaelides, S. N., Muralidhar, P., Lapiedra, O., Park, S., Menke, D. B., Geneva, A. J., Losos, J. B., & Kolbe, J. J. (2021). Changes in selection pressure can facilitate hybridization during biological invasion in a Cuban lizard. Proceedings of the National academy of sciences of the United States of America, 118(42), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2108638118 (Original work published 2021)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263277

2020

Journal article

Baeckens, S., Goeyers, C., & Van Damme, R. (2020). Convergent Evolution of Claw Shape in a Transcontinental Lizard Radiation. Integrative & Comparative Biology, 60(1), 10-23. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icz151 (Original work published 2020)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267580

Donihue, C. M., Herrel, A., Martín, J., Foufopoulos, J., Pafilis, P., & Baeckens, S. (2020). Rapid and repeated divergence of animal chemical signals in an island introduction experiment. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(6), 1458-1467. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13205 (Original work published 2020)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264231

Brock, K. M., Baeckens, S., Donihue, C. M., Martín, J., Pafilis, P., & Edwards, D. L. (2020). Trait differences among discrete morphs of a color polymorphic lizard, Podarcis erhardii. PeerJ, 8, e10284. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10284 (Original work published 2020)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267559

Donihue, C. M., Kowaleski, A. M., Losos, J. B., Algar, A. C., Baeckens, S., Buchkowski, R. W., Fabre, A.-C., Frank, H. K., Geneva, A. J., Reynolds, R. G., Stroud, J. T., Velasco, J. A., Kolbe, J. J., Mahler, D. L., & Herrel, A. (2020). Hurricane effects on Neotropical lizards span geographic and phylogenetic scales. Proceedings of the National academy of sciences of the United States of America, 117(19), 10429-10434. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2000801117 (Original work published 2020)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264608

Baeckens, S., & Van Damme, R. (2020). The island syndrome. Current Biology, 30(8), R338-R339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.029 (Original work published 2020)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264610

2019

Journal article

Baeckens, S., De Meester, W., Tadić, Z., & Van Damme, R. (2019). Where to do number two: Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory. Behavioural Processes, 167, 103937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937 (Original work published 2019)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264235

Baeckens, S. (2019). Evolution of animal chemical communication: Insights from non-model species and phylogenetic comparative methods. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 149, 63-93. https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2019.31 (Original work published 2019)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262656

Baeckens, S., Wainwright, D. K., Weaver, J. C., Irschick, D. J., & Losos, J. B. (2019). Ontogenetic scaling patterns of lizard skin surface structure as revealed by gel‐based stereo‐profilometry. journal of Anatomy, 235(2), 346-356. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13003 (Original work published 2019)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264236

Vasilopoulou‐Kampitsi, M., Goyens, J., Baeckens, S., Van Damme, R., & Aerts, P. (2019). Habitat use and vestibular system’s dimensions in lacertid lizards. Journal of Anatomy : molecular, cellular and experimental morphology, 235(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12993 (Original work published 2019)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264601

Baeckens, S., Llusia, D., García-Roa, R., & Martín, J. (2019). Lizard calls convey honest information on body size and bite performance: a role in predator deterrence? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73(6), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-019-2695-7 (Original work published 2019)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/264237

Van Wassenbergh, S., & Baeckens, S. (2019). Digest: Evolution of shape and leverage of bird beaks reflects feeding ecology, but not as strongly as expected*. Evolution, 73(3), 621-622. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13686 (Original work published 2019)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262658

2018

Journal article

Baeckens, S., Martín, J., García‐Roa, R., Pafilis, P., Huyghe, K., & Van Damme, R. (2018). Environmental conditions shape the chemical signal design of lizards. Functional Ecology (Online), 32(2), 566-580. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12984 (Original work published 2018)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267566

Baeckens, S., & Van Damme, R. (2018). Immunocompetence and parasite infestation in a melanistic and normally-coloured population of the lacertid lizard, Podarcis siculus. Amphibia - Reptilia, 39(4), 471-478. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-20181008 (Original work published 2018)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267611

Baeckens, S., Driessens, T., & Van Damme, R. (2018). The brown anole dewlap revisited: do predation pressure, sexual selection, and species recognition shape among-population signal diversity? PeerJ, 6, e4722. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4722 (Original work published 2018)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262652

Baeckens, S., Driessens, T., Huyghe, K., Vanhooydonck, B., & Van Damme, R. (2018). Intraspecific Variation in the Information Content of an Ornament: Why Relative Dewlap Size Signals Bite Force in Some, But Not All Island Populations of Anolis sagrei. Integrative & Comparative Biology, 58(1), 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icy012 (Original work published 2018)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262655

Baeckens, S., Martín, J., García-Roa, R., & van Damme, R. (2018). Sexual selection and the chemical signal design of lacertid lizards. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 183(2), 445-457. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx075 (Original work published 2018)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267572

2017

Journal article

Baeckens, S. (2017). Reliable proxies for glandular secretion production in lacertid lizards. Acta Herpetologica, 12(2), 199-204. https://doi.org/10.13128/Acta_Herpetol-20841 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262638

Baeckens, S., García‐Roa, R., Martín, J., Ortega, J., Huyghe, K., & Van Damme, R. (2017). Fossorial and durophagous: implications of molluscivory for head size and bite capacity in a burrowing worm lizard. Journal of Zoology, 301(3), 193-205. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12412 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/270727

García-Roa, R., Jara, M., Baeckens, S., López, P., Van Damme, R., Martín, J., & Pincheira-Donoso. (2017). Macroevolutionary diversification of glands for chemical communication in squamate reptiles. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09083-7 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262635

Baeckens, S., García-Roa, R., Martín, J., & Van Damme, R. (2017). The Role of Diet in Shaping the Chemical Signal Design of Lacertid Lizards. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 43(9), 902-910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0884-2 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262637

Baeckens, S., Van Damme, R., & Cooper, William. E. (2017). How phylogeny and foraging ecology drive the level of chemosensory exploration in lizards and snakes. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 30(3), 627-640. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13032 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262595

Driessens, T., Baeckens, S., Balzarolo, M., Vanhooydonck, B., Huyghe, K., & Van Damme, R. (2017). Climate-related environmental variation in a visual signalling device: the male and female dewlap in Anolis sagrei lizards. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 30(10), 1846-1861signal diversity. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13144 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262634

Baeckens, S., Herrel, A., Broeckhoven, C., Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi, M., Huyghe, K., Goyens, J., & Van Damme, R. (2017). Evolutionary morphology of the lizard chemosensory system. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09415-7 (Original work published 2017)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262636

2016

Journal article

Baeckens, S., Huyghe, K., Palme, R., & Van Damme, R. (2016). Chemical communication in the lacertid lizard Podarcis muralis: the functional significance of testosterone. Acta Zoologica : international journal for zoology, 98(1), 94-103. https://doi.org/10.1111/azo.12160 (Original work published 2016)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267554

Baeckens, S., Driessens, T., & Van Damme, R. (2016). Intersexual chemo-sensation in a “visually-oriented” lizard, Anolis sagrei. PeerJ, 4, e1874. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1874 (Original work published 2016)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/263174

2015

Journal article

Mayerl, C., Baeckens, S., & Van Damme, R. (2015). Evolution and role of the follicular epidermal gland system in non-ophidian squamates. Amphibia - Reptilia, 36(3), 185-206. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-00002995 (Original work published 2015)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/262587

Baeckens, S., Edwards, S., Huyghe, K., & Van Damme, R. (2015). Chemical signalling in lizards: an interspecific comparison of femoral pore numbers in Lacertidae. Biological journal of the Linnean Society, 114(1), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12414 (Original work published 2015)

https://research.dial.uclouvain.be/handle/2078.5/267560

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Simon Baeckens

Postal address

ELI

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Learning units for 2025