Kurt Deketelaere is the Secretary-General of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), an association of twenty-one leading research-intensive universities. Professor Deketelaere is a Full Professor of EU Environmental, Energy and Climate Law at KU Leuven (since 2004) and Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Helsinki (since 2021). He has held visiting and honorary professorships at leading institutions worldwide, including the Universities of London, Sydney, Singapore, Malta, Keio, and Chuo, and has been recognized with numerous academic honours, including the Hou-De Honorary Chair at the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan (2012) and honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh (2017) and the Georgian National University SEU (2024).
In the public sector, he was Chief Legal Advisor (2004–2007) and later Chief of Staff (2007–2009) to the Flemish Ministers for Energy, Environment, and Public Works. He was named Honorary Chief of Staff of the Flemish Government in 2009.
As an active board member and advisor, Professor Deketelaere currently serves on the boards of MRBB, AIF, Arvesta, and Embridge, and provides strategic counsel to organizations such as Crowdhelix (London),
Humanitas University (Milan), CLICKS (Dubai), and Charles University (Prague). He is also the founder of his own consultancy, BV KDK, and Chair of Sustainability College Bruges.