Dr. Vincent Lacoste works as the head the Laboratoire des Interactions Virus-Hôtes (LIVH) at the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane (IPG). He obtained his Ph.D. in virology from the Université Paris VII in 2002 and his “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches” (HDR) from the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane in 2008. In his thesis at the Institut Pasteur, he has conducted molecular epidemiology, pathogenesis and evolutionary studies of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). As a post-doc at the George Washington University, Washington, DC (2002-2004), he contributed to the development of a multivirus array, using it in combination with chromatin immunoprecipitation to investigate the relationship between chromatin structure and viral gene expression of HHV8. He joined the Institut Pasteur in 2004 to head the Laboratoire des Interactions Virus-Hôtes (LIVH) at the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane (IPG). He set-up HIV genotypic resistance tests to antiretroviral drugs, thus contributing to the surveillance of HIV-infected people locally (French Guiana) and regionally (Suriname). He also participated in the improvement of serological and molecular tools for arbovirus diagnosis in collaboration with the Arbovirus national reference center, associated lab, at IPG. In parallel with these public health activities, along with phylogenetics of viruses and of their hosts (mainly herpesviruses and non-human primates), he developed research activities on viral emerging diseases and on the role of the wild mammalian fauna in virus cycles (mainly hantaviruses, arenaviruses and rabies). He is currently using next-generation sequencing to identify and characterize viruses of rodents, bats and even parasites and to study viral evolution. Another recently-developed activity concerns the generation of specific molecular and cellular tools from New World bat species to study their innate immune response to viral infection. He has authored 50 scientific articles, 8 review articles, and 2 book chapters. In addition to his research activities, he acts since 2006 as a member of the Herpesvirus Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. From 2011 to mid-2015, as scientific coordinator, he coordinated the STRonGer program “REGPOT-CT-2011-285837-STRonGer” funded by the European Commission within the FP7. To conclude this program, he organized the 1st Amazonian Conference on Emerging and Infectious Diseases that brought together 130 international participants (48 oral presentations of which 14 renowned keynote speakers). Since Sept. 2015, he belongs to the “Diversités, Santé et développement en Amazonie” Doctoral school committee of the newly created Université de la Guyane.