Current position
2025-2026

Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant [ATER]
at the École Pratique des Hautes Études

Affiliated laboratory: Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier - ISEM

Professional activities

Aug. 2024 - Aug. 2025 - Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant [ATER] at the University of Montpellier

Fundings: University of Montpellier
Topic: Functional paleoecology of plant–insect interactions, with a focus on leaf herbivory signals and hyperspectral imaging across fossil and extant ecosystems, building on my first fieldwork on herbivory in the Réserve Naturelle de la Massane, as well as the biogeographic history of Arcto-Tertiary relict species.

Jun. 2022 - Jun. 2024 - PostDoc Swedish Museum of National History

Fundings: Awarded my personal research grant from Carl Tryggers Stiftelse foundation [CTS21: 1585]
Topic: Using gall-richness in fossil leaf assemblages as a proxy for the development of sclerophyllous vegetation
”Supervisor“: Dr. Thomas Denk

Jan. - Jun. 2022 - Part-time lecturer University of Montpellier

Fundings: Freelance entrepreneur
Teaching areas: Preparation of a response to a public tender in ecology; Paleoecology

Sep. 2020 - Dec. 2021 - Digital Project Manager

Fundings: Freelance entrepreneur
Topic: Project Manager / Digital consulting.
Context: During the Covid pandemic, I transitioned to the private sector as a digital project manager (mostly within a company called FrenchApp&Web), where I led customer projects, managed teams, and earned certifications in Google® and Shopify®. This experience enhanced my skills in communication, networking, and securing non-academic funding. It now supports my ability to foster international collaborations and effectively engage with diverse audiences.

Mar. 2020 - Aug. 2020 PostDoc Swedish Museum of National History

Fundings: Swedish Research Council
Topic: Trophic structure on terrestrial ecosystems in Miocène. Case of Güvem (Turkey) and Bilina (Czech).
Supervisor: Dr. Thomas Denk

early 2020 - Part-time lecturer University of Warsaw

Topic: Development of the cross-teaching unit about the evolution of the herbivory through the geological time and their inputs in research as a proxy.
Context: Due to COVID, the lectures did not fully attempt.

Jan. 2019 - Jan 2020 - PostDoc Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology

Fundings: NIGPAS Chinese Academy of Sciences
Topic: Paleoforest in China (Miocene): herbivory traces on macroflora; Parrotia biogeography history in Eurasia
Supervisor: Prof. Wang Bo

Education

  • Topic: Structures of European paleoforests from the late Cenozoic: input from plant-insect interactions.
    Supervisors: PD Dr. Torsten Wappler, Prof. Jean-Frédéric Terrak
    Work: Museum collection, fossil and modern fieldworks, photography, statistics, leaf measurements, Plant-insect interactions analyzes
    Collaboration: collaboration with Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
    Grant: DFG-project grant no WA 1492/8-1 ; 11-1.
    Mention: “magna cum laude” (1.3)

  • Internship 6 months et Miami University, Currano Lab, USA
    Topic: Herbivory on the fossil leaf record of Mush Valley, Oligocene, Ethiopia. Museum collection, Fossil chemical preparation
    Work: Museum collection, Developpement of Plant-insect interactions analyzes, epifluorescence analyzes
    Additional partner: National Museum of Natural History Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.

  • Internship 3 months - Centre de Bio-Archéologie et Ecologie, Montpellier, France
    Topic: Herbivory on the fossil leaf record of Bernasso, France (Pleistocene).
    Work: First initiation of the plant-insect interactions and their identification.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Skills & Expertises

Keywords

Paleoecology ; Plant-insect interactions ; Herbivory; Luminescence ; Galls ; Plant biodiversity ; Plant Biology ; Structures of ecosystems ; Biostatistics ; Relict plant species

Methods & Lab’

Guide of plant-insect interactions ; Plant taxonomy identification ; Binocular and Microscopy analyses ; Palynology ; Specific technic of photography ; Hydrofluohydric acid methods ; spectral imaging ; epifluorescence ; Paleoclimate reconstructions methods

Additional skills

Français (évidemment) ; English (sure!) ; Español (menos bien que ingles y frances) ; Deutsch (Ich habe es vergessen) ; Projet management; Speaker; Digital Communication ; Design ; International project supervisor ; Photography ; Travel expat; Founder of Social-Humanitarian association ; Head of international Scientific project; High-tech ; President of AprèsLaThèse podcast show

Strategic integration of large language models in academic research, teaching, and science communication

Fieldwork & Museum

Technic photography ; Fossil collection management ; Development of new sampling protocol ; Fieldwork organization (fossil and modern) ; Technics of fossil excavation ; Technics of modern leaf sampling

Digital skills

Codes: R, Python, HTML, CSS, ‘SQL’, Fluid®
Softwares: AI engineering, Q-GIS, Fiji, Adobe®, Notion®, Office®

Professional & Academic services

See publications
See conferences

Editorial Work & Symposium

Frontiers Ecology & Evolution

Organizer of a symposium at IPC/IOPC 2024

Review work

  • Peer review of multiple scientific articles for the following journals: Ecology & Evolution ; Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology ; Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology ; PlosOne ; Palaeoworld ; Royal Society Open Sciences ; Geological journal ; Integrative and comparative biology ; Geological Journal ; Global Planetary Change ; Journal of Asian Earth Sciences ; Ecological Indicators ; Grana ; Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments; Flora

  • Research project evaluator for: DFG (German Research Foundation) ; Sepkoski Grant application ; European Commission ; FNRS, F.R.S.-FNRS, Belgium ; Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Poland .

Member of scientific groups and associations

  • IAVS - International Association for Vegetation Science, team Ecological history of plants 

  • NECLIME - Neogene Climate Evolution in Eurasia

  • ODS Provence - Observatoire des Saisons, Provence, Aix-Marseille Université

Scientific project lead / contributor

  • The challenges of living in soil: Why plant roots are underexploited by herbivorous insects? (2025), Lead: Dr. Mikhail Kozloz, Contribution: Planned experimental fieldwork.

  • HERBIX - Herbivory Evidence and Response to Biotic Interactions illuminated by X-ray fluorescence mapping (Synchrotron-Puma) (2024), Lead: Dr. Benjamin Adroit

  • Seeing the forest for the trees: Using research synthesis to verify and integrate the ecological theories that explain patterns in insect herbivory (2023-2024), Lead: Elena L. Zvereva, Contribution: Experimental fieldwork.

  • Mid-Miocene floristic changes and differentiation patterns (2022/2023), Lead: Dr. Fridgeir Grímsson, Contribution: Palynological analysis of European fossil deposits.

  • Using gall-richness in fossil leaf assemblages as a proxy for the development of sclerophyllous vegetation (2022–2024), Lead: Dr. Benjamin Adroit (co-PI) & Thomas Denk (PI), Contribution: Principal investigator of the postdoctoral project . I designed and wrote the project, led the research in collaboration with the Swedish host team, and coordinated its scientific implementation.

  • ZELKOVA (NHMF, Switzerland) (2019/2021), Lead: Prof. Gregor Kozlowski, Contribution: Fieldwork in Crete and fossil knowledge support on the Zelkova genus.

  • EOT Climate (TELLUS, CNRS) (2020), Lead: Dr. Séverine Fauquette, Contribution: Identification of herbivory pattern changes on European localities around the Eocene-Oligocene transition.

  • Molasses Miocene Basin (DFG, Germany) (2020), Lead: Dr. Torsten Wappler, Contribution: Identification of plant-insect interactions in fossil deposits around the Oligo-Miocene transition.

  • Research on ancient plant–insect associations in eastern China (2019), Lead: Prof. Wang Bo, Contribution: Postdoctoral researcher working on fossil plant–insect interactions based on museum collections and field expeditions in eastern China. I contributed to the morphological and statistical analysis of herbivory traces and the paleoecological interpretation of the fossil assemblages.

  • Pliocene insect herbivory dynamics in Central Europe as key to the future (2015–2018), Lead: Dr. Torsten Wappler, Contribution: PhD researcher working as part of a DFG-funded project. I developed my own doctoral research in alignment with the broader objectives of the project, focused on paleoecology and past plant–insect interactions.

  • Plant–insect interactions in a short time period (50,000y): A case study from the early Miocene of Ethiopia (2014), Lead: Dr. Ellen Currano, Contribution: M.Sc. intern funded by a U.S. research grant (Miami University, Ohio). This fellowship supported my fieldwork and paleoecological analyses in collaboration with North American research teams.

Mentorship of students

See more about teaching activities

  • 2025 - Cyril Ramecourt (Master 2) – Plant-insect interactions in the Miocene fossil site of Radoboj (Croatia) – University of Montpellier – Supervisor: Benjamin Adroit. Supervision 100%: fossil identification, plant-arthropod interactions, data analysis, manuscript preparation.

  • 2024 - Imre Gyökeres (PhD) - Plant-insect interactions in the Paleogene and Neogene of Hungary - University of Debrecen - Supervisor: Dávid Árpád. Supervision 80%: plant-arthropod interactions, statistics.

  • 08/02/2023 - PhD Examiner - Artai Antón Santos López - University of Vigo: New palaeobotanical contributions to the Jurassic of northern Iberian Peninsula: palynostratigraphical and palaeoecological insights.

  • 2023 - Charlie Pasquier (Master 1) - Fluorescence on different stages of leaf decomposition - IPANEMA - Supervisor: Mathieu Thoury. Supervision 20%: introduction to botany and plant physiology.

  • 2022 - Samuel Biz (Master 1) - Plant-insect interactions in the fossil leaf deposit of Monastier-sur-Gazeille, Auvergne - University of Montpellier - Supervisor: Vincent Girard. Supervision 50%: fieldwork, plant-arthropod interactions, statistical analyses, photography, assistance in writing the internship report.

  • 2021 - Antoine Vite (Master 1) - Visualizing enhanced generic markers of anatomical and biomolecular expression in ancient plant specimens - IPANEMA & Seckenberg, Frankfurt - Supervisor: Mathieu Thoury. Supervision 30%: introduction to paleobotany, photography.

  • 2020/21 - Pénélope Claisse (Master 1) - Comparative study of herbivory traces from two collections of the macroflora of Menat, France (Paleocene) - MNHN - Supervisor: André Nel. Supervision 50%: plant-arthropod interactions, macroflora identification, photography, statistics, assistance in writing the internship report.

  • 2018/19 - Xin Zhuang 庄欣 (Master 2) - Differentiation of hereditary characters caused by geographical isolation in Parrotia subaequalis - Nanjing University (China) - Supervisor: Zhongsheng Wang. Supervision 30%: leaf trait analyses, statistics, fieldwork in the Yixing forest, China.

  • 2016/18 - Mahdieh Malekhosseini (Master 1&2) - Herbivore density and leaf damage on Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) in the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forest - University of Bonn (Germany) - Supervisor: Torsten Wappler. Supervision 80%: protocol development, forest fieldwork, macroflora identification, plant-insect interaction identification, photography, statistics, assistance in writing the Master thesis and presentations.

    —

    Note: During my year in the private sector as a digital project manager, I had the opportunity to supervise two students in work-study programs, see below

  • 2021 - Marine Lapuyade (Master) - Digital project management - Supervision 80% during my year as a digital project manager.

  • 2021 - Stella Ferreira (Master) - Commercial and marketing management - Supervision 80% during my year as a digital project manager.

Teaching Topics

I have taught over 320 hours in ecology, morphology-anatomy, evolution, plant and animal biology, paleontology, and scientific communication at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Most of this experience was gained at the University of Montpellier, complemented by teaching roles at Aix-Marseille University and internationally at Stockholm University, University of Warsaw, University of Bonn, and Nanjing University.

See more about teaching activities

Below, a little bit of some fieldworks & work in collections

  • A man in a black jacket, khaki pants, and a black cap with sunglasses, using a pole to measure a tree branch in a forest with fallen leaves on the ground.

    Bursa, Turkey [Fieldwork]

    Sampling leaves (litter and trees) from Fagaceae trees (Quercus, Fagus) in different locations subdivsied into different sites in the district of Bursa; Mediterranean environments. Measurements of herbivory and galling damages.

  • Group of people setting up a metal trap in a wooded outdoor area under trees, with one person sitting on a hillside and others working together to assemble and place the trap.

    Réserve Naturelle Nationale de la Forêt de Massane [Fieldwork]

    Field surveys included monitoring seedling regeneration using permanent quadrats and installing leaf litter collectors. These methods support research on herbivory and its effects on forest regeneration and ecosystem dynamics in the reserve.

  • A man standing on a tree branch trimming the tree with a pole saw.

    Saint-Michel-l’Observatoire, France [Fieldwork]

    Collecting leaves from the trees and the litter of Quercus pubescens. Measurements of herbivory and galling damages.

  • A person with gray hair setting up a photography shot in a museum or exhibit space, with glass display cases filled with artifacts or fossils along the walls, a professional studio light labeled ESDDI, a camera on a tripod, and various artifacts laid out on a black cloth on the wooden floor.

    Museo Giuseppe Scarabelli, Italy [Collection]

    Photography collection of Senigallia (Pliocene) macrofossil specimens for plant-insect interactions and taxonomy studies

  • A suspension bridge over a river with trees and buildings in the background, and people walking on the bridge.

    Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, China [Collection]

    Working on Namling (Miocene) fossil leaf collection on plant-insect interactions and biogeography of Parrotia genus

  • Laboratory workspace with a computer, microscope, and various rocks or mineral samples on trays and tables. There are bright windows with greenery outside.

    Geoscience center of the University of Göttingen, Germany [Collection]

    Main collection work during my PhD thesis about plant fossil specimen from Willershausen and Berga (Pliocene)

  • Winding dirt road through green hilly landscape with layered mountains in the background under cloudy sky.

    National History Museum of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [Collection]

    Working on Mush Valley (Miocene) fossil leaf collection for plant-insect interactions identification

  • Person holding a picture of a tall pole or antenna extending upward against a background of green trees and a blue sky.

    Genoa, Italy [Fieldwork]

    Sampling leaves (litter and trees) from Oak trees (Quercus) in different sites related to Mediterranean environments.

    Measurements of herbivory and galling damages.

  • Close-up of dried, brown leaves and a small red and black ladybug on a twig.

    Yixing forest, China [Fieldwork]

    Collect fresh leaves from Parrotia subaequalis for a DNA work.

  • Two men are excavating a site in a grassy, hilly outdoor area. One man is holding a small trowel, kneeling, and the other is standing with a hammer in hand. They are working on a small exposed section of earth surrounded by grass and shrubs.

    Bernasso (Pleistocene), France [Fieldwork]

    Sampling of fossil leaves from lacustre sediment, then working on plant-insect interactions