Welcome

I am an evolutionary biologist working with genomes. I try to make biological sense of genomic singularities observed through comparative genomics. I have a special interest in plant parasites and I use bioinformatics as a tool to perform this research.

My main topics of interest are:

• The impact of non tree-like evolution such as horizontal gene transfers and hybridization on species biology
• Evolution and adaptation of animals in the absence of sexual reproduction and the underlying mechanisms
• Genomic signatures of adaptation to a parasitic life-style

I am an INRAE (French national research institute for agriculture, food & environment) senior scientist and scientific leader of the GAME team (Genomics & Adaptive Molecular Evolution) at ISA (Institut Sophia Agrobiotech), in Sophia-Antipolis, on the French Riviera.

ISA is a joint laboratory combining staff and facilities from  INRAE, Université Côte d’Azur and the CNRS with a main focus on plant health and environment.

Although technological and scientific advances have led to a drastic reduction of the damages caused by agricultural pests, the methods deployed have a negative global impact on the environment and human health.

I believe advancing our knowledge on how plant parasitism has evolved and how these agricultural pests adapt will fuel and inspire future development of more specific and environmentally friendly control methods.

In my research, I mainly study the emergence and evolution of plant parasitism in nematodes. I am also the scientific director of the bioinformatics and genomics platform (BIG) of our institute where I provide a scientific direction to the developments and research.