I am interested in the evolution of traits allowing organisms to tolerate harsh nutritional and environmental conditions, and to the potential trade-offs resulting from those adaptations. Indeed, evolving tolerance to extreme conditions can impact other traits important for survival, limiting the extent of adaptation.
In my thesis, I am focusing on adaptation to chronic juvenile malnutrition. I use experimentally evolved populations of Drosophila melanogaster to understand the consequences of larval adaptation on later adult metabolism.
Larval adaptation to malnutrition has some detrimental effects on adult life, such as a reduced starvation resistance (unpublished results). We try to further characterize changes caused by larval adaptation in selected adults using metabolomics approach (untargeted and multiple pathway). We hope to discover which metabolic processes are affected in selected adults and to understand what underlies the trade-off with better larval performance on the poor food.
Employment and education
Nov. 2015-Current
PhD in Life sciences, in the group of Prof. Tadeusz Kawecki
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne.
Thesis title: Adaptation to chronic juvenile malnutrition in Drosophila melanogaster : mechanisms and consequences on adult metabolism.
2014-2015
Master Degree in Molecular Life Sciences, University of Lausanne.
Master thesis: Phenotypic and transcriptomic responses of Cassava (Manihot esculenta) inoculated with genetically different isolates of the symbiotic fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, conducted under the supervision of Ian Sanders at the Department of Ecology and Evolution.
Pre-master research project: Hormonal Crosstalk in the case of oviposition by Pieris brassicae on Arabidopsis thaliana, conducted under the supervision of Philippe Reymond at the department of Molecular Vegetal Biology.
2009-2013
Bsc. in Biology, University of Lausanne
Conferences
2018
Poster presentation at the joint congress II on Evolutionary Biology,Montpellier.
Talk at Biology18, University of Neuchâtel.
2017
Poster presentation at the 25th European Drosophila Research Conference, Imperial college, London.
Poster presentation at the ESEB meeting, Groningen.
Talk at the Swiss Drosophila Meeting, University of Bern.
Poster presentation at Biology17, University of Bern.
2016
Poster presentation at Biology16, University of Lausanne.
Awards
2018
Distinction for Excellent Contribution to Teaching, awarded by the Teaching Comittee of the Department of Ecology and Evolution.
2017
Best Poster Award in Evolution. Biology17, the annual Swiss conference on ecology, evolution, systematics and conservation.
Teaching
2018
Mentoring of two students on two three-month research projects : ROS resistance in Drosophila melanogaster adapted to juvenile malnutrition Male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster adapted to juvenile malnutrition
2016-present
Responsible and assistant, Zoology practicals (Bsc1). Teacher : Tadeusz Kawecki
2017
Assistant, Bioinformatics course (Bsc2). Teacher : Marc Robinson-Rechavi
Other activities
2018-present
Organizer of a journal club on ecology and evolution for PhD students
2018-present
PhD representative at the department of Ecology and evolution.
2016 & 2018
«Scientific speed dating» outreach activity during Biology16 and Evolution II conferences.
