My name is Victor Pochic and I am a PhD student in marine biology at the University of Nantes and Ifremer. While studying for my bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences at the University of Nantes, I did an internship with Pierre Gernez at the ISOMer laboratory, where I worked on microalgal blooms. It was during this internship that I developed a passion for strange creatures called dinoflagellates. These are rather unusual organisms, classified as microalgae, which display astonishing diversity: some are toxic, others are bioluminescent, and still others must steal chloroplasts from their prey in order to photosynthesize. After completing a master’s degree in marine science, I am now seeking to understand the biological interactions that influence the ecology of dinoflagellates in coastal oceans. To do this, my colleagues and I are analyzing phytoplankton observation data collected over decades on the French coast, and we are also conducting laboratory experiments to identify the biological mechanisms. Our latest work focuses on the seasonality of the kleptoplastic dinoflagellate Dinophysis, and how prey availability affects its survival and growth.
I am very honored to have received a thesis grant from the SPF, which will enable me to present my work at the International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA 2025) in Punta Arenas, Chile, in November 2025.
