I have always been fascinated by the natural world, especially by life in the oceans (still not sure why as I come from the deep countryside..). This has led to a relentless will to explore and to understand the wild environment, resulting in moments of awe and unforgettable encounters only wilderness can offer, whether around my home or in remote regions. However, throughout these experiences, I also witnessed some of the deep changes Nature is currently undergoing and quickly realised how much of a responsability our generation has to find solutions of sustainably coexisting with wild species. This is why I chose Science as a way to contribute to this global effort, by producing knowledge on the behavioural ecology of wild populations,  alerting on their state and the threats they are facing, and investigating solutions to ever-growing human pressures they need to cope with.

After completing a MSc in Marine Ecology at the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada) and Aix-Marseille University, and spending summers doing fieldwork on killer whales off northern Vancouver Island, I completed a PhD at CNRS (France) on the interactions between killer whales/sperm whales and fisheries off the Crozet subantarctic islands. While still working on these populations, I extended my research to include fisheries interactions with other marine predators, essentially marine mammals,  in Australia, the Indian Ocean and other subantarctic areas through subsequent postdocs. 

In 2021, I was appointed as a researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and joined the Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC) research unit in Sète (France).  

My research now focuses broadly on behavioural ecology of large marine predators and human-wildlife conflicts in the oceans.  In particular, much of my efforts are dedicated to understand the behaviour of marine mammals and the drivers of their direct and indirect interactions with fisheries.  From this knowledge, I also use interdisciplinary approaches to identify ecologically and socio-economically sustainable ways to reduce the conflicts associated with interactions through changes in fishing behaviour and fishery management. 

Education

2009-2012 Ph.D. at CNRS (Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, France) and University of Aix-Marseille II - "Killer whale and sperm whale depredation in the toothfish longline fishery of the Crozet Archipelago" - supervisor: Dr Christophe Guinet 

2006-2008 M.Sc. at University of Aix-Marseille II and University of Victoria (Bristish Columbia, Canada)

Research experiences and employment

2021- Permanent researcher at French Institute of Research for Sustainable Development (IRD), France

2016-2021 Postdoctoral researcher at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

2012-2015  Research fellow at the National Nature Reserve of the French Southern Lands (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises & CEBC-CNRS), France

2010  Research assistant at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Alaska, USA

2007 Research assistant at University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

2005-2007 (summers) Research assistant at Orcalab, Hanson Island, British Columbia, Canada

Fieldwork

2023 France (Bay of Biscay) - DELGOSTII (coord. PELAGIS) - Biopsy sampling on common dolphins

2022 Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco - Observation and photo-identification on bottlenose dolphins

2017 SE Australia (fishing vessels) - Observation, photo-identification and acoustics on killer whales

2012-2013  Kerguelen islands - Biopsy sampling, observation, photo-identification and acoustics on Commerson's dolphins

2011-2012 Crozet islands (île de la Possession) - Biopsy sampling, observation, photo-identification and tag deployment on killer whales

2008-2012  Crozet islands (fishing vessels) - Biopsy sampling, observation and photo-identification on killer whales and sperm whales

2010 Alaska, USA (Aleutian islands) - Observation and photo-identification on killer whales and sperm whales

2007 Seychelles - observation on sharks/odontocetes, test of anti-depredation systems

2005-2007 Bristish Columbia, Canada (Vancouver island) - observation, photo-identification and acoustics on killer whales

2004-2006 France (Mediterranean Sea) - observation and photo-identification on bottlenose dolphins

Student supervision and teaching

31 students supervised: 5 PhD, 16 MSc, 10 BSc

2021-2023  "AERME" program for MSc students  (MARBEC Sète)

2018-2020 Guest lecturer for BSc. Unit “Marine Wildlife”, course “Fisheries interactions”, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

2018-2020 Guest lecturer for BSc. in Marine & Antarctic Science, unit « Marine Biology », course “Fisheries interactions”, Hobart, Australia