 His first professional job was as temporary section head at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium (1924–1926).Most of Derscheid's scientific articles were published during this period, including those on the longfin herring ("Ilisha africana"), hornbill, okapi, and African wild dog.He continued to publish on a wide range of topics after this period, including articles on the tropicbird, dugong, exotic ducks and the mountain gorilla.