PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

POSTDOC

Since January 2022 :

PROJECT leader ON LARGE CARNIVORES

Subject: Monitoring, ecology, genetics, dynamics and conservation of the Pyrenean brown bear population.

non-invasive population monitoring (new demographic metrics, conservation genetics)
role in ecosystem functioning and trophic and non-trophic interactions with other species
spatial ecology and landscape connectivity
depredation behaviours
impacts of human activities and coexistence with humans

Institution: Department "Conservation and Management of Species with special concerns", French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Villeneuve de Rivière, France.

February 2017 - December 2021:

Assistant group leader of the PYRENEAN brown bear project

Subject: Monitoring, ecology and conservation of the Pyrenean brown bear population.

Institution: Brown bear team, Predators and Depredator and Exotic Animals Unit (UPADE), French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Villeneuve de Rivière, France.

Group leader: Pierre-Yves Quenette.

April 2016-January 2017 :

Post-doctoral research associate IN THE "AGEX" JCJ ANR project

Subject: Long-term effects of individual heterozygosity and age-based mate choice in roe deer.

Laboratory: Evolutive Biodemography Group, Biometry and Evolutionary Biology laboratory (LBBE-CNRS, France).

Advisor: Jean-François Lemaître.

Funding: French National Research Agency (ANR).

August-Nov 2014 :

Maternity leave

Dec 2012-March 2016 :

Principal investigator of THE "PATCH" RPDOC ANR PROJECT

Subject: Roe deer behavioural plasticity and adaptation to landscape changes (PATCH).

Laboratory: Evolutionary Ecology and Population processes Group, Biometry and Evolutionary Biology laboratory (LBBE-CNRS, France).

Funding: French National Research Agency (ANR).

April-August 2011 :

Maternity leave

July 2010-Oct 2012 :

post-doctoral research fellow IN PORTUGAL

Subject: Impact of habitat loss and fragmentation on the genetic diversity and social structure of several lemur species from Northern Madagascar.

Laboratory: Population and Conservation Genetics Group, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (Portugal).

Advisor: Lounès Chikhi.

Funding: Postdoctoral research fellowship from the the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).

Tasks: molecular lab work (DNA extraction, PCR, genotyping, microsatellite screening), population genetic analyses (genetic diversity, population structure, population assignment, notions in demographic history inference using ABC, etc.), paper writing, supervision of lab-work assistants, application to competitive funding (FCT research grant, early career grant of the British Ecological Society).

Dec 2009-May 2010 :

post-doctoral research fellow IN AUSTRALIA

Subject: Patterns of burrow sharing, social organisation and female-biased dispersal in a Tasmanian population of common wombat.

Laboratory: Behavioural Ecology Research Group, University of Queensland (Australia).

Advisor: Anne Goldizen.

Funding: Postdoctoral research fellowship from the Australian Government - Endeavour Program.

Tasks: 1.5 month of field work on wombats in Tasmania (non-invasive hair sampling, burrow measurements, vigilance), molecular lab work (DNA extraction, PCR, genotyping, microsatellite screening), data analyses (SIG and cartography, population genetic analyses, biostatistics), paper writing, application to competitive funding (ARC grant, APSF grant, UQ postdoctoral fellowship).

Jan-Nov 2009 :

Post-doctoral research assistant IN FRENCH GUIANA

Subject: Estimation of abundance and habitat use of large terrestrial mammals in the Amazonian rainforest using camera trapping.

Laboratories: French Hunting and Wildlife Agency (ONCFS) and University of Antilles-Guiana (French Guiana).

Advisors: Cécile Richard-Hansen (ONCFS) and Jean-Michel Gaillard (LBBE-CNRS).

Funding: Postdoctoral research grant from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) – Amazonia program.

Tasks: 10 months (part-time) of field-work on terrestrial mammals (deer, tapirs, peccaries, felines, rodents, armadillos…) at the Nouragues field research station (French Guiana) involving camera trapping, faeces collection, vegetation sampling. Management of a large camera-trapping data base. Data analyses (SIG and cartography, CMR analyses, biostatistics). Paper writing. Application to competitive funding (Amazonia CNRS research grant).

July-Aug 2008 :

Visiting post-doctorant IN TASMANIA

Subject: Spatial ecology, social structure and mating system of the short-beaked echidna.

Laboratory: School of Zoology, University of Tasmania (Australia).

Advisor: Stewart Nicol.

Tasks: 2-3 days/week of field work (during 2 months) on echidnas involving animal capture, marking, biopsies, radiotracking. Data analyses (SIG and cartography, spatial statistics, biostatistics). Paper writing.

Dec 2007-Nov 2008 :

post-doctoral research fellow IN NEW ZEALAND

Subject: Microsatellite development and phylogeography of the short-beaked echidna.

Laboratories: Molecular Ecology Laboratory, University of Canterbury (Dec.-June) and Centre for Reproduction and Genomics, University of Otago (Sept.-Nov.) (New Zealand).

Advisor: Neil J. Gemmell.

Funding: Postdoctoral research grant from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Lavoisier Program.

Tasks: molecular lab work (microsatellite development and optimization, DNA extraction, PCR, genotyping, microsatellite screening), population genetics analyses, paper writing.

Photo credit: JJ Harrison

PhD

Oct 2003-June 2007 :

Ph.D. dissertation

Thesis title: Mating systems and sexual selection in ungulates – New insights from a territorial species with low sexual size dimorphism : the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Laboratories: Wildlife Behaviour and Ecology laboratory (CEFS–INRA, France) and Grimsö Wildlife Research Station (SLU, Sweden).

Supervisors: A. J. Mark Hewison (CEFS–INRA) and Henrik Andrén (Grimsö).

Funding: Ph.D. grant from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Ph.D. fellowship from the French Ministry of Research. Cotutelle grant from the French Ministry of Research.

Jury: Stéphane Aulagnier (Chairman), Marco Festa-Bianchet (Referee), Anna Qvarnström (Referee), Dominique Allainé (Examiner), Etienne Danchin (Examiner), A. J. Mark Hewison (Co-Director) and Henrik Andrén (Co-Director), J-M Gaillard (Invited).

Tasks: 10 months of field work on roe deer in Sweden (fawn capture, marking, biopsies, behavioural observation, pellet-group count, radiotracking, bed site analyses, vegetation sampling), molecular lab work (DNA extraction, PCR, genotyping, microsatellite screening), large data base management, data analyses (paternity analyses, relatedness and heterozygosity measures, spatial statistics, biostatistics), help in the supervision of master students, supervision of field work assistants, paper writing.

PDF of PhD thesis: http://www.cebc.cnrs.fr/Fthese/PUBLI/Vanpe.pdf

MASTER

Jan-Sept 2003 :

MSc. thesis

Subject: Study of penguin resource partitioning based on the combined use of stable isotope method and stomach content analyses.

Laboratory: Chizé Centre for Biological Studies (CEBC–CNRS, France).

Supervisor: Yves Cherel.

Funding: Master scholarship from the French Ministry of Education.

Tasks: lab work (sea bird stomach content analyses and prey taxonomic determinations), data analyses (biostatistics).

Sept 1999-May 2000 :

Post-graduate degree thesis

Subject: Comparative feeding ecology and niche partitioning of ten sea duck species in winter in North America.

Laboratory: Dpt. of Wildlife Management, University of Rimouski (UQAR, Canada).

Supervisor: Magella Guillemette.

Funding: CREPUQ international exchange grant from the French Rhône-Alpes region.

Tasks: 2 months of field work on eiders in Quebec involving recording activity patterns, large data base management (gut content), data analyses (biostatistics, SIG and cartography).

FIELD ECOLOGIST

Sept 2000-May 2002 :

Field-ecologist in Kerguelen Islands

Subject: Demography, reproduction and feeding ecology of seabirds and sea mammals in the Southern Ocean.

Laboratory: Chizé Centre for Biological Studies (CEBC–CNRS, France) and French Polar Institute (IPEV).

Place: Kerguelen Islands (French Sub-Antarctic Terrirories)

Supervisors: Henri Weimerskirch, Yves Cherel, Olivier Chastel, Christophe Guinet.

Tasks: I was in charge of collecting data in the field at the scientific polar base of Kerguelen Islands (16 months, full-time) and performing data analyses at the lab CEBC-CNRS in France (5 months) for a long-term research project of the CEBC-CNRS on demography, reproductive and feeding ecology of seabirds (penguins, albatrosses, petrels, skuas, shags, chionis) and sea mammals (fur seals, elephant seals) in the Southern Ocean.

The field work involved bird captures (by hand, using nets or box-traps) and handling, measuring, marking and ringing, blood sampling, biopsy, collect of stomach contents ; equipment of animals with PIT tags, radio-collars, activity recorders and ARGOS tracking transmitters ; monitoring of sea bird populations, breeding phenology, productivity and foraging trips ; seal counting ; rat capture, tagging and biospies.