Having obtained her Ph.D at the Pierre and Marie Curie University, Professor Ntoumi began her career in malaria research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. She pursued her work in Gabon, Germany and the Congo and within international organizations in the Netherlands and in Tanzania, where she was the first African leader of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM).

Today, Francine Ntoumi is actively involved in strengthening health research capacities in Africa and coordinates the CANTAM project (Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria). She is head of the Marien N’Gouabi University (Brazzaville) molecular biology laboratory and Chief Executive of the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research.

Created to support infectious disease research in developing countries, the Christophe Mérieux Prize is awarded each year by the Fondation Christophe et Rodolphe Mérieux under the auspices of the Institut de France. Winners receive € 500 000.

Learn about the Christophe Mérieux Prize

Watch an interview of Professor Francine Ntoumi on Congolese national TV