Sophie Duraffour

Sophie Duraffour is a highly experienced group lead at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine since February 2015, focusing on enhancing laboratory capabilities for health surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly regarding emerging and tropical infections. Previous roles include team lead for the European Mobile Laboratory during the COVID-19 response in Greece, supporting SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics, and serving as a senior researcher in outbreak response and operational research projects in various West African countries. Duraffour also has significant experience with the World Health Organization in Ebola response efforts and had an academic background as a project leader in antiviral drug discovery at KU Leuven. Educational qualifications include a PhD in Transmissible Diseases and Tropical Pathologies and a Master’s in Cellular Biology and Physiology.