Alumni
Visiting PostDoc
Alumni
I originally graduated with a BSc in Marine Sciences from the University of Quèbec at Rimouski in Canada, with a year abroad studying Tropical Marine Ecology and Ecosystems Management at the University of Antilles and Guyana in Guadeloupe. Following this, I completed an MSc in Development, Interaction and Evolution of the living at the University of Perpignan in France. During this time, I worked at the CARMABI Foundation in Curacao where I undertook research in coral reef ecology. My research concerned the cascading effects of key reef-builders decline on associated fish and coral communities, in addition to leading another project on the effects of nursery habitats on coral reef fish assemblages and grazing pressure. Afterwards, I moved to French Polynesia and worked at the CRIOBE lab to complete my PhD in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution. The overarching goal of my PhD project was to evaluate the benefits of asexual versus sexual reproduction, together with phenotypic plasticity, in the population maintenance of fire corals. After completing my PhD I pursued my research as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (LabEx CORAIL) at the University of La Reunion with an interest into the functional complexity of microbial communities associated with fire corals. I rely on ecological approaches, combined with classical population genetics and genomics, to provide new insights into coral holobiont structure and function.
Coral reefs are one of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth. However, this biodiversity is increasingly threatened by both local and global stressors. It is therefore crucial to understand ecological and evolutionary processes that shape adaptive variation in corals. My current research interests focus on the co-variation of fire coral host genotypes and microbial communities across reef habitats (in situ). I use marker sequencing (ITS2 and 16S) to assess whether microbial communities change among clone mates that are exposed to variable environments. Such microbial dynamics would support the importance of phenotypic plasticity for coral adaptation and represents a unique opportunity to determine the scope of genetic and physiological adaptive responses in corals.