Prof. Hortense ATTA DIALLO holds an MSc in Plant Pathology and a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1994 and 1998, respectively. She is a full Professor of Plant Pathology at the University NANGUI ABROGOUA (UNA), where she held several positions: Technical Advisor to the President of the university (2007-2009) and Director of the Plant Production Research Pole (2014-2019). She is the immediate past Vice President of External Relations of UNA, a position she has held since 2016. She is the head of the Plant Health Research Unit at UNA. In 2020, she became a Scientific Council of the Fund for Science, Technology and Innovation (FONSTI) member in Cote d'Ivoire. She is also a member of the International Scientific Advisory Board of the Lagos State University Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative STEM Education (LASU-ACEITSE). In 2021, Prof. Hortense was appointed to serve on the WASCAL Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). With expertise in Quality Assurance, Prof. Hortense has been coordinating, since 2022, the implementation of the UNA performance contract signed with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research as part of a Project to support the Development of Higher Education (PADES) funded by the World bank. Prof. Hortense served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the One Planet Fellowship, an initiative of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) and the Agropolis Foundation, before being appointed as a member of the AWARD Steering Committee.