Ph.D. in Chemistry - Chemical Engineer

CURRENT POSITION : Senior Research Scientist at the joint Unit “Safety and Quality of Plant Products” between INRAE and Avignon University

My present research interests relate to the physicochemical properties (antioxidant, antinitrosing, affinity for proteins…) of dietary polyphenols in relation with the health benefit of fruit and vegetables. The nutritional quality of plant products mainly depends on genotypes, cultural practices and plant processing. My current projects are focused on: 1) the impact of the food matrix on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of polyphenols. 2) the capacity of polyphenols to inhibit the oxidation of dietary polyunsaturated lipids initiated by dietary iron in digestion. 3) the protection of the vascular function by polyphenols.

INSTITUTIONAL APPOINTMENTS:

• Deputy member of the scientific committee of the INRAE research center of PACA (2023-)
• Deputy Head of the SQPOV Unit (2018-2023)
• Leader of Team MicroNutrients at the SQPOV Unit (2016-2023)
• Member of the scientific committee of the QualiSud Unit (2022-)
• Member of the steering committees for UMT QualiVeg2 & 3 (2018-) and Adduits consortium (2020-2024)
• Member of the scientific committee of the INRA-CEPIA division (2011-2016)
• Member of the communication group of the INRAE-CEPIA division (2007-2016)
• Member of the scientific commission of the INRA research center of Avignon (2007-2011)
• Member of the Board of Groupe Polyphénols (2002-2008)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

• Direction/co-direction of 7 PhD students, co-supervision of 7 PhD students, supervision of 22 undergraduate students and 3 CDD IE
• Teaching at Avignon University (Implanteus Graduate School) (10 h/year)
• Member of jurys for undergraduate students, PhD and HDR and of steering commitees for PhDs
• Reviewing experience for journals in food science and nutrition
• Reviewing experience for fundings (Danish Council for Independent Research, INSA, ANRT, CAPES COFECUB, ECOS...)
• Recruiting juries for assistant professors, INRAE research scientists, INRAE technicians

PUBLICATION RECORDS

• Total number of publications: 56 (in peer-reviewed journals listed in Science Citation Index)
• H-index=32 – 9239 citations (aug 2024)
• Book chapters: 6

EDUCATION

• 2010    Accreditation to supervise PhD students in Food Science-Food Engineering from the University of Montpellier (France)     (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches)
• 1988-1993    Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (USA)
• 1989    Chemical Engineer (School of Industrial Chemistry, ESCIL Lyon, now CPE Lyon)

RELEVANT CAREER EVENTS

• 2000 –    Senior Research Scientist at the joint Unit “Safety and Quality of Plant Products”, between INRAE and Avignon University
• 1998 – 2000   Visiting scientist at the Laboratory of Polyphenols - University of Lyon
• 1994 – 1998   Research scientist at the INRA Unit « Science for enology », Montpellier
  Explored the influence of wine macromolecules (polysaccharides, polyphenols) on the aroma of grape-derived beverages using model systems
• 1994   Postdoctoral Research fellow at Roussel Uclaf (now Sanofi-Aventis), Romainville (93). Hemisynthesis of new leading antibiotics of the macrolide family as inhibitors of resistant bacterial strains.