Ruben Mersch (b. 1976) studied philosophy and biology at the University of Ghent. After graduating, a twist of fate landed him in the pharmaceutical industry. But fed up with turning disease into profit, he decided to do something useful with his life: to teach people how to think for themselves. For Oogklepdenken (Blinkered Thinking) he received the so-called (pdw)-trophy, an award for spreading objective knowledge and fighting pseudo-science and the paranormal.