Former Fellows

I am a PhD student (currently in my second year) at the University of Caen Normandy, based at Cnam-Intechmer in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. I am particularly interested in the diversity of algae and the communities they form on the foreshore. My thesis work focuses mainly on intertidal macroalgae communities in Normandy. The aim of my thesis is to develop new tools for understanding these intertidal macroalgae communities at various scales. To this end, a range of techniques are used, from drones for acquiring aerial images of the site to PAM for acquiring data at the individual level. Ultimately, this project aims to improve our understanding of theRead More →

My name is Lou Patron and I am a second-year PhD student at the GENALG laboratory at Ifremer in Nantes. My research focuses on the biotic interactions between the ichthyotoxic microalga Prymnesium parvum and its associated bacteria. This microalga is known for its massive blooms and its ability to produce toxins, causing major disturbances in aquatic ecosystems, particularly through the mass mortality of fish and other marine organisms. My thesis project aims to explore the influence of these interactions on algae growth and toxin production. An essential part of my project involves identifying the bacteria present in the P. parvum microbiome. To do this, IRead More →

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 marineRead More →

Enthusiastic about the idea of exploring the chemistry of natural substances and chemical ecology, I am currently working on a CIFRE thesis between the Roullier Group’s Global Innovation Centre (Saint-Malo) and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris). Among the solutions developed by the agricultural industry to alleviate the abiotic and biotic stresses on plants are extracts of algae, particularly brown algae. Ascophyllum nodosum is one of the most widely represented species and is used by the Roullier Group in its technical solutions for farmers. Macroalgae have fascinating interactions with the microbial communities associated with them. Numerous studies have shown that these interactions are crucial toRead More →

My name is Maëlle Zonnequin and I’m a second-year PhD student at the Laboratory of Integrative Biology of Marine Models (LBI2M) at the Station Biologique de Roscoff. I’m particularly interested in understanding how brown algae interact with other organisms in the marine ecosystem.Throughout evolution, biotic interactions have probably played a key role in the metabolic plasticity and adaptation of species. In my thesis, I am focusing on the function and evolutionary origin of the oxylipin pathway in biotic interactions in brown algae. More specifically, I am testing the hypothesis of functional coevolution between two closely related brown algae: a host belonging to the family LaminarialesRead More →