A leading figure in scientific research in Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa, Professor Jérémie Thouakesseh Zoueu officially took office on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, as Director General of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) in Adiopodoumé, succeeding primatologist Professor Inza Koné.

A full professor at CAMES universities since 2014, Jérémie Zoueu is a faculty member and researcher at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny National Polytechnic Institute (INP-HB) in Yamoussoukro, within the Joint Research and Innovation Unit in Engineering Sciences and Technologies (UMRI-STI). A specialist in the physics of light—more specifically, photonics—he has established himself as one of the most influential researchers of his generation in the fields of optics, spectral imaging, and applied data science.

He holds a Ph.D. in lasers and materials from Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris (now Sorbonne University) and a graduate diploma in laser engineering and applications from the Institut Galilée, and has conducted pioneering research in the fields of nanotechnology and nonlinear optics. His research has notably contributed to the development of new methods for generating laser frequencies and innovative tools for analyzing matter.

Upon returning to Côte d’Ivoire in 1996, he established and developed a research laboratory meeting international standards, which has become a benchmark in the subregion. His teams have designed several cutting-edge scientific devices, including an automated system for rapid malaria diagnosis using spectral imaging, which led to an international patent and a Sweden-based startup.

Recipient of the National Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation in 2019, Prof. Zoueu is also an Officer of the Order of Merit of National Education and the Order of Merit of the Civil Service.

An internationally recognized researcher, associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (United States), and expert for several African and global scientific institutions, he has supervised some twenty doctoral dissertations and co-authored nearly one hundred scientific publications.

Beyond his academic contributions, he has distinguished himself in university governance and technological innovation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, by coordinating a team that developed a medical ventilator adapted to local conditions. He also helped establish the Polytechnic University of San Pedro in 2021 and has held several vice-presidential positions at that institution.

With his appointment as head of the CSRS, Prof. Jérémie Zoueu brings to the institution solid scientific and managerial experience, dedicated to strengthening research and innovation in Côte d’Ivoire and across Africa.

(AIP)/Tg