As another year comes to an end, it offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on recent milestones while setting our sights on new scientific and outreach horizons. 

2025 has been a year marked by growth and momentum. One of the major steps forward was starting a new postdoctoral position at LEMAR (Brest, France) as part of the SEARCHLIGHT project. In June, I had the pleasure of presenting a poster (available here) at the international conference Molecular Life of Diatoms 8 (MLD8) in Ghent, Belgium. This year was also particularly productive in terms of publications, with 5 peer-reviewed articles published in international journals (available here). In addition, my research received more than 65 citations in 2025, surpassing previous years and representing a motivating personal milestone. Beyond research, I was especially glad to launch a new outreach initiative, “The Microalgae Files”, a series dedicated to highlighting the remarkable processes performed by microalgae through the work of researchers who study them. The series is available on this website here, and you are warmly invited to connect with me on LinkedIn (link).

In 2026, the Children’s University, part of the European initiative Science Comes to Town, will bring science into the cities of Brest (France), Kiel (Germany), and Split (Croatia) through workshops, hands-on activities, and interactive conferences for children. 

I’m thrilled to participate in this amazing event by presenting my Mud-Cake Stories to children in an interactive conference in January 2026! 🎉

Through these fun and educational stories, kids will discover mudflats and learn how biological processes provide essential ecosystem services, helping them understand the value of these unique environments! 🌍

I can’t wait to share the wonder of science with tomorrow’s citizens and spark their curiosity for nature and the environment.

I am pleased to announce that I have created a new page dedicated to my partnership with Bija Ecoconsulting.
 

This page introduces Bija, a consulting firm committed to developing, financing, and implementing sustainable and innovative projects with tangible environmental and social impact.

I present their main areas of expertise, from project design and public funding engineering to eco-design and project management. In this page, I also present my role as an ecological and scientific consultant, helping them to bridge science and practice in sustainable project development.   access the page

I am pleased to announce that I have created a new page dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goals.

On this page, I explain what the SDGs are, why scientific research is essential to achieving them, and how my work in aquatic microbial ecology contributes to four of the 17 SDGs: Life Below Water (14), Life on Land (15), Climate Action (13), and Clean Water and Sanitation (6).

Through this page, I aim to highlight how science can connect to global challenges and support sustainable development.                                                                                                                                     access the page

After 3 years at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) as a contract researcher in João Serôdio’s lab on the SEARCHLIGHT project (see details), I am closing a chapter filled with research and inspiring collaborations.

I am now excited to announce that I have joined Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM - link), and more specifically the UMR 6539 LEMAR (link), as a research engineer on the REWRITE project (see details), under the guidance of Johann Lavaud (link).

I look forward to this new scientific journey and to continuing to exchange and share along the way both here on my website and on my LinkedIn (link)! 🌊🌍

I am delighted to announce the publication of our new research article titled "Light response of karyostrophy in the benthic pennate diatom Pleurosigma strigosum (Bacillariophyceae): A complimentary photoprotective process? " in Journal of Phycology. 

The research presented in this paper investigated whether the light-dependent contraction of chloroplasts (karyostrophy) plays a role in protecting diatom cells from high light stress. Results showed that karyostrophy enhances self-shading and supports recovery from light stress, highlighting its potential role as a complementary photoprotective mechanism.

Please feel free to access the paper by using the following link: Access the paper

I am pleased to announce the publication of our latest research article titled "Light induced transthylakoidal proton gradient is a key signal driving the downward migration of motile diatoms in sediments" in the journal Scientific Reports. 

This paper presents part of the results obtained during the SEARCHLIGHT project (see details).

The research presented in this paper investigated whether the proton gradient (ΔpH) generated by high light plays a role in triggering light-avoidance movement in benthic pennate diatoms. Results showed that disrupting ΔpH reduced this photophobic migration, highlighting its key role in linking light sensing to protective movement behavior.

 Please feel free to access the paper by using the following link: Access the paper

I am pleased to announce the publication of our latest research article titled "Influence of cockle bioturbation on microphytobenthic primary producers: habitat and density-dependent effects" in the journal Marine Biology. 

This paper presents part of the results obtained during the COCKLES project (Cooperation for restoring cockle shellfisheries & its ecosystem-services in the Atlantic Area - see more details).

The research presented in this paper investigates the non-trophic effects of the edible cockle Cerastoderma edule on microphytobenthos using ex situ mesocosm experiments with different sediment types. It shows that cockles negatively affect MPB biomass in a density-dependent manner by disturbing sediments and biofilms, though photosynthetic performance remains unchanged thanks to enhanced nutrient fluxes from bioirrigation. 

Please feel free to access the paper by using the following link: Access the paper

I am pleased to announce the publication of our latest research article titled "Inter-specific variability in photophysiological responses of epipelic diatoms to the actin inhibitor Latrunculin B" in the journal Diatom Research. 

This paper presents part of the results we obtained during the SEARCHLIGHT project (see details).

The research presented in this paper investigates whether the actin inhibitor Latrunculin B (Lat B) can be used to explore the relationship between cell motility and photosynthetic activity in benthic pennate diatoms. Our results show that Lat B effectively stops diatom movement across multiple species, while having only a limited effect on their ability to carry out photosynthesis. Interestingly, our findings suggest that actin filaments may be involved in photoprotective mechanisms, potentially helping diatoms recover from light-induced stress.

Please feel free to access the paper by using the following link: Access the paper