Illiassou earned his Ph.D. degree in Microbiology and Parasitology from Montpellier University in France. He joined the Carlsten lab in September 2019 after having completed postdoctoral training under the supervision of Dr. Eric Harvill at the University of Georgia in the USA. During his time in Georgia, he worked to unravel the role of the nasal resident microbiota in preventing Bordetella pertussis colonization and transmission, using a mouse model of infection. He is currently investigating how exposure to environmental pollutants, such as allergens and diesel exhaust, affects the microbiome of the respiratory tract and the broader implications this has on the lung immune response in healthy and compromised airways. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, running, cooking, and "catching up" with family and friends.