Erik Desiré De Clercq graduated as a Medical Doctor (MD) in 1966 and as a Philosophical Doctor (PhD) in 1972. He has been a full professor at the Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, since 1977. He spent two years at Stanford University (1968-1970) and the rest of his career at the Rega Institute for Medical Research (KU Leuven). He is an Honorary Doctor at the Universities of Ghent, Athens, Ferrara, Shandong, Prague, Česke Budějovice, Tours, and Hull; and an honorary citizen of the town of Hamme, Belgium. He was Named Inventor of the Year (EU) in 2008 and Laureate of the Dr. Paul Janssen Prize in 2010. He is best known for the co-invention (together with Dr. Antonín Holý) of the anti-HIV drug, tenofovir. He taught the courses of Microbiology (Virology) and Biochemistry at the KU Leuven and KU Leuven Campus Kortrijk. Since 2006, he has been an emeritus professor at the KU Leuven but has continued teaching the course on “Biochemistry at the Service of Medicine” to Bachelor/Master students from the Universities of Česke Budějovice (Budweis, Czechia) and Linz (Austria) from 2007 to today.