Victorien Dougnon is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Microbiology at the Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin. His research focuses on molecular microbiology, hygiene and public health. Specifically, he is involved in antimicrobial resistance research in Africa, applications of microbiological techniques to the resolution of development problems and exploration of Benin’s flora for the treatment of infectious and non-communicable diseases. As a West African scientist, science diplomacy is also a topic close to his heart. He has established several strong scientific networks throughout the world in order to make Benin a better place to live with reduced burden of infectious diseases. Victorien is a founding member of the Research Unit in Applied Microbiology and Pharmacology of Natural Substances, at the Research Laboratory in Applied Biology, Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi, University of Abomey-Calavi. He is also the founding President of the Benin Young Academy of Science and the American Society for Microbiology Young Ambassador to Benin. Since 2016, he is a World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Young Affiliate and since 2020 he is a member of the Global Young Academy. As a young scientist, he experiences the damage caused by predatory journals and has organized conferences on this topic through the Benin Young Academy of Science.