Education
2008-13: PhD in Earth Sciences, geomicrobiology, University of Geneva

2007-08: Master's degree in sedimentary geology, University of Geneva
2003-06: Bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences, University of Geneva
2001: Naturopathy diploma at the ECN, Geneva
1997: Latin-English Swiss federal maturity

 

Positions

Feb 2021: Project Manager for PROSPECTOMICS at the GFZ, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

2017-20: Postdoc Researcher at the LMU München
2015-17: DFG Temporary Principal Investigator at the GFZ, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

2013-15: SNSF Fellow at the GFZ, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

 

Research

Basic Module DFG grant (VU 94/3-1): BioMetArchive will inspect the subsurface biosphere of ferruginous Lake Towuti, Indonesia in terms of density, structure and metabolic features. By combining metagenomics with reconstructions of the paleoenvironmental archive obtained by the ICDP Towuti Drilling Project, this project will tackle persistent microbial processes of organic matter remineralization and iron mineralization during burial. Nucleic acid analyses will be linked to past trophic and redox conditions of the lake through wet and dry periods of the Middle Pleistocene (starting summer 2022).

PROSPECTOMICS: Hydrocarbon prospecting is mainly based on geological and geophysical techniques. This project will develop molecular tools for rapid, sensitive and non-invasive screening of hydrocarbon seepage in marine sediments. This is an EU-funded FET project in collaboration with Lundin Energy (logistics), GFZ Potsdam (biogeochemistry), University of Duisburg-Essen (metagenomics), Greifswald (metaproteomics), Luxemburg (metatranscriptomics) and Vienna (machine learning).

Postdoctoral research at the LMU: Next generation sequencing surveys of the marine deep biosphere evidence a high taxonomic diversity, but do not account for ecological functions or growth rates. Our work tackled this issue by extracting both DNA and RNA from oxic and anoxic deep abyssal clay of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. We applied quantitative PCR assays targeting taxonomic and functional genes, and Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic libraries.

Eigene Stelle DFG grant (VU 94/1-1): FAMAFED inspected the formation of authigenic minerals associated with microbial activity in ferruginous sediments from Lake Towuti, Indonesia. This research was part of the ICDP-funded Towuti Drilling Project. Microbial reduction processes and organic matter degradation in the sediment induce neoformation of minerals during early diagenesis (e.g. siderite, magnetite, vivianite). Mineral features and isotope compositions were compared to microbial assemblages (i.e. environmental DNA) and used as modern biosignatures for the Proterozoic ferruginous oceans.

Early Postdoc.Mobility SNSF grant (P2GEP2_148621): Addressed the link between biogeochemistry and microbial populations in the sediments of Lake Towuti, Indonesia. Due to its iron-rich settings, the lake is ideal to study metal reduction processes and their influence on the sediment composition during early diagenesis.

PhD thesis: “Characterizing the Subsurface Biosphere in Laguna Potrok Aike Sediments (Argentina) – a Case Study -" mainly focused on deep microbial populations in the sediment of the maar lake Potrok Aike, Argentinean Patagonia (ICDP-funded PASADO project). The approach included microbiological and geochemical methods such as 16S rRNA fingerprinting (DGGE, cloning, illumina), cell count, methane and fatty acid biogeochemistry and their related isotope compositions, pore water chemistry, phosphorus speciation and others. This thesis was awarded the CHGEOL Award 2013.

Master's thesis: “Contribution to the study of cement stratigraphy using a multi-methodological approach”, was centered on carbonates diagenesis using cathodoluminescence, X-ray microfluorescence, fluorescence microscopy, fluid inclusions and image analysis. This Master was awarded the 2008 ELSTE Price.

 

Third-party funding

2022: Basic Module DFG grant (VU 94/3-1) awarded

2015: Eigene Stelle DFG grant (VU 94/1-1) awarded

2015: SNSF travel subsidy for field work awarded

2013: Early Postdoc Mobility SNSF grant (P2GEP2_148621) awarded

2010: Mark Birkigt travel grant awarded

2009: Ernst & Lucie Schmidheiny Foundation travel grant awarded

 

Honors, awards, publicity

2022: Spotlight Selection at Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2022

2020: Editor's Choice at FEMS Microbiology Ecology, December 2020

2019: LMU Mentoring Program awarded

2018: Editor's Choice at FEMS Microbiology Ecology, February 2018

2017: LMU Mentoring Program awarded

2017: Seal of Excellence, Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship 2016

2013: CHGEOL Award 2013,  for PhD dissertation

2008: ELSTE-Augustin Lombard price 2008, Master thesis

 

Teaching and practices

Teaching assistant for “General Geology” "Limnology", and “Cartography”, and Master courses of “Glacial Geology” and “Calcareous Algae” (UNIGE), "Geomicrobiology" and "Global Cycles", lab practices and maintenance (LMU).

Microthermometry of fluid inclusions, optical cathodoluminescence, fluorescence microscopy (OM, DAPI), X-ray microfluorescence, Raman microprobe, calcimetry, P speciation (UNIGE), pore water extraction, chromatography (methane, VFAs), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (GFZ), DNA/RNA extractions and downstream techniques (GFZ, LMU), e.g. DGGE, intra/extracellular DNA, quantitative PCR, cloning, metagenomic-transcriptomic libraries, MiSeq-MiniSeq Illumina sequencing.

 

 Field work, courses

- 2016: ICDP core splitting and processing at the LacCore facilities and repository, University of Minnestota

- 2015: Field operations of the ICDP Lake Towuti Drilling Project, geobiology sampling (Indonesia)

- 2014: Pilot campaign of the ICDP Lake Towuti Drilling Project, sampling at Malili Lakes (Indonesia)

- 2013: Facies and structure of the Panthalassic Mino terrane, central Japan, CUSO camp (Japan)

- 2012: Tectonics and sedimentation along an active plate boundary, CUSO camp (New Zealand)

- 2011: Modern and Quaternary carbonate environments, CUSO camp (Bahamas)

- 2010: Field operations of the ICDP Dead Sea Project (Israel)

- 2010: Tectonostratigraphy and plate tectonics of Crete (Greece)

- 2010: Geobiology, intensive training course on microbes/minerals interactions (USA)

- 2009: Study of tidal deposits, flats of the Wadden Sea (Germany)

- 2009: ICDP core splitting and processing at the Geopolar, Bremen core repository

- 2008: PhD fieldwork, field operations of the ICDP PASADO project, South Patagonia (Argentina)

- 2008: Study of the deep biosphere, ECORD camp (Germany)

- 2008: Study of the Late Glacial period, CUSO camp (Norway)

- 2007: Study of pelagic sediments, gorges of Breggia (Switzerland)

- 2007: Study of the continental and coastal deposits, Jeffara (Tunisia)

- 2006: Study of continental and coastal deposits, Tremp basin (Spain)

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