With a background in immunology and infectious diseases, I lead the Immunophysiopathology & Infectious Diseases Department at Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal. This multidisciplinary team drive cutting-edge research on malaria, arboviruses and emerging pathogens, and host the CEPI Reference Laboratory, accelerating vaccine validation during clinical trials. By integrating local pathogen genomic surveillance with advanced immunological and single-cell analysis platforms, my main interest is to decipher the immunological responses during infectious diseases to guide vaccine and diagnostics development and also public health strategies.
From 2014 to 2019, I headed the Immunology of Infectious Diseases Unit at Institut Pasteur de Madagascar. There, I established an advanced immunological research platform focused on malaria and other neglected tropical diseases. I led novel phenotypic, functional and serological studies of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, developed field-deployable diagnostic assays, and mentored over 20 early-career scientists while forging partnerships with national Ministries of Health and international funders.
Earlier in my career at Institut Pasteur, Paris (2002–2013), I conducted pioneering work on malaria immunopathogenesis, characterizing host–parasite receptor–ligand interactions that informed next-generation vaccine design, and managed cross-functional teams to translate basic discoveries into therapeutic and diagnostic innovations. I earned my PhD in Molecular & Cellular Immunology from Joseph Fourier University (2001) and completed my HDR in 2016, underpinning two decades of scientific leadership in malaria and infectious disease research across Africa and within the Pasteur Network.
