Biography

Maybe because I grew up in Marseille, on the Mediterranean Sea’s edge, I have always been curious about anything related to the marine life. Later, learning about the serious threats to the oceans due to human activities, I decided to become a scientist to contribute to marine ecosystems conservation.

I completed my MSc in Fishing Science and Aquaculture in 2009 at Agrocampus Ouest, in France, working with Drs. Didier Gascuel and Sylvie Guénette. We assessed the potential effects of a Marine Protected Area, the Port-Cros National Park, in the Mediterranean Sea. We used ecosystem modelling approaches (Ecopath and EcoTroph) as we intended to consider not only a few emblematic species but the whole marine food web. 

As a PhD Candidate, I am currently working with Dr. Villy Christensen at the Fisheries Centre, UBC. My project is part of the NF-UBC Nereus program and intends to provide better predictions of global changes in marine biodiversity through the 21st Century, using a spatial ecosystem model (Ecospace) representing the world’s oceans. Seeing their significant impacts on marine ecosystems worldwide, fishing and climate change are very likely to be the most decisive factors of future trends in marine biodiversity. Our predictions will thus be improved by a better consideration of fishing and climate change effects, but also trophic interactions between marine species.