CNRS - Universite de Montpellier, France
Dr. Monsef Benkirane is a leading French virologist and former Director of the Institut de Génétique Humaine (CNRS/Université de Montpellier). His career spans over three decades of groundbreaking HIV research with profound impact on our understanding of viral gene transcription and in general RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription. Benkirane is best known for identifying SAMHD1 as a restriction factor blocking HIV-1 replication, a landmark discovery that fundamentally reshaped understanding of intrinsic immunity. His subsequent work illuminated HIV reservoir markers and chromatin-mediated immune evasion. An elected member of EMBO and the American Academy of Microbiology, Dr. Benkirane has received the CNRS Silver Medal, multiple ERC Advanced Grants, and the Liliane Bettencourt Prize.
