Abenan Louise Ouattara Yao

Abenan Louise Ouattara Yao, PhD, serves as a Research Fellow at CONRAD since January 2014, focusing on the identification and development of microbicides against HIV and contraceptives, as well as vaccine technology for HIV prevention. Prior to this role, Abenan worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Population Council from July 2010 to December 2013, studying the effects of zinc in mucosal HIV transmission and establishing infection models using human and macaque tissues. Abenan's career began as a PhD student at bioMerieux from October 2006 to January 2010, where the characterization of a new reovirus strain and the development of a molecular detection test were key contributions. Abenan holds a PhD in Biology-Virology from Claude Bernard University, along with two master's degrees in Biotechnology and Healthcare, and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry.