Catherine Linard awarded a Francqui-Collen Research Professorship for her research in health geography

Catherine Linard, health geographer at UNamur, has just been awarded a Francqui-Collen Research Professorship. This three-year mandate will relieve her of most of her teaching duties and allow her to devote more time to research.

Working at the intersection of geography and epidemiology, Catherine Linard uses tools and approaches of geography to tackle health‐related questions, with a particular emphasis on zoonotic and vector-borne infectious diseases. Her research aims to better understand how environmental and societal changes shape disease transmission and geographic spread. Why do certain infectious diseases pose a greater risk in some regions than in others? What role do urbanization, climate change and population movements play in their spread? These are among the questions at the heart of her research.

A major focus of her work is the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. She is particularly interested in the rapid urbanization of the African continent and its impact on mosquito populations and disease transmission. To this end, she plans to strengthen international collaborations, notably with the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal.

Starting in September 2026, this Francqui-Collen Research Professorship will give Catherine Linard the opportunity to significantly accelerate her research, paving the way for new advances and meaningful contributions to global health.