I am an evolutionary biologist interested in deciphering selective and non-adaptive processes that shape genome evolution, with a particular focus on the evolutionary constraints associated with recombination. I combine phylogenetic, population genomic, and comparative genomic approaches to study how recombination, selection, and mutational processes jointly shape genome diversity.

Understanding neutral genetic diversity is crucial because it provides a baseline for interpreting evolutionary dynamics and inferring demographic history, population size changes, and adaptive potential. Yet, the impact of reproductive strategies on neutral diversity remains largely overlooked. My research aims to fill this gap by studying the evolutionary consequences of facultative sex and other recombination-associated processes.

Current projects

Facultative sex and linked selection

We explore how facultative sexual reproduction affects the efficiency of linked selection and GC-biased gene conversion. A first paper shows that selective sweeps can severely reduce neutral genomic diversity when meiosis is rare. We will extend this work to quantify how facultative sex shapes the interplay between negative selection, demography, and biased gene conversion.
In parallel, we are also understanding the origin and structure of genetic diversity in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using large-scale population genomic data, we are revisiting how variation in the frequency of meiosis across lineages contributes to observed diversity patterns.

Collaborators: Louis Ollivier (PhD student, DataIA scholarship), Mélodie Bastian (postdoc, funded by ANR JCJC RECAF (2025-2029)), Brian Charlesworth (University of Edinburgh, U.K), Gilles Fischer (LCQB, Sorbonne University) and Sarah Cohen-Boulakia (LISN),

GC content and hypermutation at transcription start sites (TSSs)

Most animal protein-coding genes show a spike in GC content near their transcription start sites. We are disentangling the molecular mechanisms, such as hypermutation and biased gene conversion, that generate and maintain this pattern.

We have already a paper on the importance of ancestral GC-biased conversion on the GC content at TSS and a preprint on hypermutation at TSS has been released 21st of November 2025.

Collaborators: Tina Qiu (PhD student with Alex), Emilie Hebraud (Master student) and Alexander F. Palazzo (University of Toronto).

Tree-sequence inference for polygenic selection and CTRS

This project uses tree-sequence reconstruction to study two independent evolutionary processes. First, it investigates polygenic selection, detecting subtle allele frequency shifts across many loci in humans and crops, including maize adaptation. Second, it explores cultural transmission of reproductive success (CTRS) in humans, where family size influences offspring number, potentially biasing demographic and selection inferences. We have a preprint on the impact of CTRS on the accuracy of tree-sequence inference software. In both cases, tree-sequence statistics provide a powerful framework to capture weak genome-wide signals.

Collaborators: Thémis Lemarchand (PhD student, INRAe Le Moulon), Maud Fagny (INRAE Le Moulon), Frédéric Austerlitz (CNRS, Musée de l’Homme) and Flora Jay (LISN).

Previous work

As a postdoc with Laurent Excoffier (University of Bern, Switzerland) , I showed that more than 95% of the human genomic diversity is affected by background selection and/or biased gene conversion towards GC (gBGC). I showed that these two mechanisms bias the population genetics inferences of demography. I also studied patterns of genetic diversity in regions of low recombination in humans and showed that associative pseudo-overdominance might counteract the effect of background selection. 

During my PhD with Laurent Guéguen, Marc Bailly-Bechet and Dominique Mouchiroud (University of Lyon 1, 2013 - 2016), I developed a codon-based model that disentangle the role of mutational bias from synonymous codon preferences on the evolution of genes in bacterias. I also quantified the importance of both translational selection and gBGC on the evolution of codon usage (i.e. GC3) in humans in collaboration with Marie Sémon and Laurent Duret. 

For more details, see the "Publications" webpage.

I'm French born in 1989. I grew up in Paris, moved to Lyon to pursue my undergraduate studies and lived 3 years in Switzerland as a postdoc. Since 2019, I'm back in Paris.

I am married with two young kids.

I'm sociable, open-minded and fancy discussing with others about science and/or small-talks. I am well-organised and rather a frank person.

During my free-time I enjoy cooking and inviting friends for dinner (& more occasionally going to fancy unaffordable restaurants). I'm also keen to do outdoors activities like cycling for a weekend, hiking for a day or swimming to stay fit. For small talks, I keep myself up-to-date by listening to the radio and podcasts; I also watch plenty of series.