AIP/ Prof. Jeremie Zoueu, an Ivorian pioneer in photonics, heads the CSRS (Profile)
A profile of Professor Jeremie Zoueu, an Ivorian pioneer in photonics and Director-General of the CSRS-CI.
Professor Jérémie Zoueu, new Director-General of the CSRS
A leading figure in scientific research in Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa, Professor Jérémie Thouakesseh Zoueu officially took up his post on Tuesday 16 June 2026 as Director-General of the Centre for Research and Studies on the Savannah (Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, CSRS), in Adiopodoumé, succeeding the primatologist, Professor Inza Koné.
A full professor at CAMES universities since 2014, Jérémie Zoueu is a lecturer 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 Techniques (UMRI-STI). A specialist in the physics of light, and more specifically in 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.
Holder of a PhD in lasers and materials from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris (now Sorbonne University) and a postgraduate diploma in laser engineering and applications from the Institut Galilée, he has carried out pioneering work in the fields of nanotechnology and non-linear optics. His research has notably contributed to the development of new methods for generating laser frequencies and innovative tools for analysing matter.
On his return to Côte d’Ivoire in 1996, he established and developed a research laboratory meeting international standards, which has since become a benchmark in the sub-region. His teams have designed several cutting-edge scientific devices, including an automated system for the rapid diagnosis of malaria using spectral imaging, which led to an international patent and the creation of a start-up based in Sweden.
Winner of the National Prize for Excellence in Research and Innovation in 2019, Professor Zoueu is also an Officer of the Order of Merit of National Education and of the Order of Merit of the Civil Service.
An internationally recognised researcher, associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (United States) and an expert for several African and global scientific institutions, he has supervised around twenty doctoral theses and co-authored nearly a hundred scientific publications.
Beyond his academic contributions, he has distinguished himself in university governance and technological innovation, notably during the Covid-19 pandemic, by coordinating a team that developed a medical ventilator adapted to local conditions. He also played a part in the founding of the Polytechnic University of San Pedro in 2021, and has held several vice-presidential roles within that institution.
With his appointment as head of the CSRS, Professor Jérémie Zoueu brings to the institution a wealth of scientific and managerial experience, which will serve to strengthen research and innovation in Côte d’Ivoire and across Africa.