Prof. Francine Ntoumi is a molecular biologist of Congolese nationality (Republic of Congo). She is the founder, president and executive director of the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research, in the Republic of Congo, and Professor and Head of a research group at the Institute of Tropical Medicine at the University of Tübingen, Germany. She is a member of several scientific committees and international scientific networks in Africa and Europe, and also brings her expertise to the African Union as a member of the High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies. Her main research area is malaria, and throughout her career she has trained African scientists of different nationalities in disciplines such as immunology and molecular epidemiology. Since January 2009, Professor Ntoumi has been involved in building biomedical research capacity in Central Africa through the Central Africa Network on Clinical Research (CANTAM) and the pan-African network PANDORA-ID-Net. In 2012, she was awarded the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women, and a laureate of the RICE (Réseau International des Congolais de l’étranger) Award. She received the Georg Forster Prize in Germany, and the Christophe Mérieux Prize in France, in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In 2016, she received the Gold Medal for Scientific Research from the Head of State of the Republic of Congo. Since 2024, she is the National Ambassdor for UNICEF.