Research Interests - cv

Biography

I started my research career with a PhD in plant ecophysiology (INRA Lusignan) during which I studied the hydraulic architecture of growing tall fescue tillers and the relationship between transpirational and growth water fluxes. I then joined Park Nobel Lab at UCLA to conduct postdoctoral research on the ecology of water transport in root systems of desert plants. In 2002, I took up a Research Fellow position at INRA Clermont-Ferrand to work on the ecophysiology of wheat quality and to develop research at the interface between ecophysiology and genetics. I spent the following year at The New Zealand Crop & Food Research Institute in Lincoln where I started to work on the wheat process-based model Sirius. From 2005 to 2010 I led the AgroPhysiology of Annual Crop (APAC) group of the INRA Agronomy Unit at Clermont-Ferrand (now UREP). In 2008, the APAC group joined the Joint Research Unit GDEC and in 2010 I started the Grain Integrative Biology (BIG) group whose research focus on better understanding the regulation of grain storage protein composition in response to nitrogen and sulfur supply. Since 2002 I jointly develop the wheat model SiriusQuality. Since 2014, I co-lead the international AgMIP Wheat team. In 2015, I joined the research group on Modeling and Analyzing Genotype Intergrations (MAGE) group at LEPSE to study the genetic variability of the response of cereals to climate change.   

Research Interests

Qualification

• Habilitation in Plant Ecophysiology,  Blaise Pascal University, France, 2011.

• Ph.D. in Plant Ecophysiology. Poitier University, France, France, 1999.

• MSc in Applied Plant Physiology, Montpellier University, France, 1996.

• BSc in Applied Plant Physiology, Montpellier University, France, 1995.

Professional Experience

• Director of the INRAE - Institute Agro, Montpellier Joint Research Unit LEPSE (200–present).

• Deputy Director of the INRAE - Institute Agro, Montpellier Joint Research Unit LEPSE (2019–2020).

• 1^st Class Research Director (DR1), INRAE, Montpellier (2022–present).

• 2^nd Class Research Director (DR2), INRA, Montpellier (2015–2021).

• 2^nd Class Research Director (DR2), INRA, Clermont-Ferrand (2013–2015).

• 1^st Class Research Fellow (CR1), INRA, Clermont-Ferrand, France (2006–2012).

• Visiting Professor, University of Sassari, Italy (2012–present).

• Visiting scientist, New Zealand Crop and Food Research Institute (2002–2003).

• 2^nd Class Research Fellow (CR2), INRA, Clermont-Ferrand, France (2002–2005).

• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, USA (2000–2001).

• Postgraduate Fellow, INRA Lusignan, France (1996–1999).

Current and Past National and International Responsibilities

• Co-leader of the AgMIP-Wheat Team (2014-present).

• Co-chair of the Wheat Initiative Expert Working group on Wheat Plant and Crop modeling (2014-present).

• Co-chair of the INRA-EA scientific network on "Modeling the Functioning of Crops" (2015-présent).

• Member of the Committee of the Ph.D. School in Agricultural Science of the University of Sassari, Italy (2017-présent).

• French representative in the Research Committee of the Wheat Initiative (2013-present).

• Member of the INRA Researcher Evaluation Panel "Ecophysiology, Genetics, and Integrative Plant Biologie" (2015-present).

• Member of the scientific board of the INRA Environment and Agronomy Division (2011-2016).

• Member of scientific board of the French Network on Seed Biology (2008-2014).

• Member of the scientific committee of the INRA-UBP Joint Research Unit 1095 GDEC (2007-2014).

Funding

• INRAE - CSIRO, Joint Linkage Call (SHARECROP: Sharing and Improving Crop and Soil Models for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation), 2024, 7.5 k€, PI.

• INRAE - New Zealand Science, Joint Linkage Call (SHARECROP: Sharing and Improving Crop and Soil Models for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation), 2024, 7.5 k€, PI.

• INRAE - University of Florida, Joint Linkage Call (Crop Module Exchange for Climate Smart Agriculture Decision Support), 2023, 10 k€, PI.

• H2020 (PHENET, Tools and methods for extended plant PHENotyping and EnviroTyping services of European Research Infrastructures), 2023-2027, 10 M€, PI.

• ANR (FFAST, Functioning from the assimilation of structural traits. Understanding wheat functioning from the assimilation of high throughput observations into plant simulation models), 2022-2026, 6 k€, PI.

• H2020 (INVITE, INnovations in plant VarIety Testing in Europe), 2019-2024, 6 M€, PI.

• IWYP (TRAITS, Traits for increasing wheat grain yield), 2019-2021, 2 M€, PI.

• Fonds de Soutien à l’Obtention Végétale (FSOV) (RemoBlé, Améliorer la remobilisation de l’azote pour augmenter la concentration en protéines du blé), 2019-2021, 539 k€, PI.

• H2020 (SolACE, Efficience des cultures pour l'eau et les intrants), 2017-2022, 6 M€, PI.

• EIT KIC-Climat (Barley-IT, Système d'aide à la décision pour aider les agriculteurs à atteindre les critères de malterie et réduire les émissions de N₂O), 2017-2022, 500 k€, PI.

• ANR - Investissement d’Avenir, Institut de Convergence (#DigitAg, Institut de Convergence Agriculture numérique), 2017-2023, 9.9 M€, PI.

• FACE-JPI  ERA-NET Plus on Climate Smart Agriculture (MODCARBOSTRESS, Improving models and plant phenotyping pipelines for a smart agriculture under abiotic stress combination and elevated CO₂), 2015-2019, 200 k€, PI. 

• Limagrain / INRA (Typologie des scénarios de contraintes hydrique et thermique pour le blé tendre en Europe), 2015-2016, 149 k€, Coordinator. 

• FP7-KBBE (Whealbi, Wheat and barley legacy for breeding improvement), 2014-2018, 104 k€, PI. 

• FACE-JPI (MACSUR, Modelling european Agriculture with climate change for food security), 2012-2015, PI.

• INRA ACCAF Metaprogramm and Environment & Agronomy division (AgMIP, The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project), 2011-present, PI.

• ANR - Investissement d’Avenir Biotechnologie et Bioressources (BreedWheat, Développer de nouvelles variétés de blé pour une agriculture durable: une approche intégrée de la génomique à la sélection), 2011-2019, 250 k€, PI.

• INRA Plant Biology & Breeding / Génoplante Valor (Intérêt du gène SHP pour augmenter la teneur en protéines et moduler la composition en protéines de réserve chez le blé tendre), 2011-2012, 65 k€, Coordinator.

• Package INRA-BBSRC (Identification of traits and genetic markers to reduce the nitrogen requirement and improve the grain protein concentration of winter wheat),  2007-2010, 190 k€, PI.

• ANR Génoplante (ProtNblé, Analyses génétiques de la stabilité du rendement et de la teneur en protéines du grain en contexte limitant en azote chez le blé tendre et le blé dur), 2007-2009, 120 k€, PI.

• Fond Unique Interministérielle (FUI) (GARICC, Génotypes de blé dur et adaptation régionale aux itinéraires techniques et aux contraintes climatiques), 2007-2009, 31 k€, PI.

• Fond Unique Interministérielle (FUI), (QualitNblé, Recherche de déterminants génétiques de la qualité boulangère du blé tendre), 2007-2009, 188 k€, PI.

• Programme d’Actions Intégrées Galilée (Étude par simulations d'itinéraires techniques à faibles impacts environnementaux pour des productions de blé de qualité),  2005-2006, 50 k€ , Coordinator.

• Projet Régional Qualité des Aliments (QdA), (Modélisation du développement et de la composition du grain de blé), 96 k€, 2004-2007, PI.

• Fonds de Soutien à l’Obtention Végétale (FSOV) (Étude et prédiction des fractions protéiques de réserve et indices de sélection pour la qualité), 2004-2006, 38 k€, PI.

• Génoplante B2 (Composition protéique, texture du grain et aptitudes technologiques chez les monocotylédones), 2004-2005, 145 k€, PI.

• Génoplante CP3P2 (Composition protéique du grain et stabilité de la valeur technologique), 2002-2003, 115 k€, PI.

Former Post-Docs

Sibylle Dueri(2018–2022) Currently a Senior Scientist at Agroscope Tänikon, Switzerland
Anaelle Dambreville (2015–2016) Currently a R&D Full-stack Developer at PUR Montpellier, France	Rami Albasha (2017, 2021-2022) Currently a R&D Scientist at iTK Clapiers, France	Shouyang Liu (2017-2020) Currently a Professeur at Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China
Behnam Ababaei (2015–2016) Currently a Research Scientist at James Cook University Townsville, Australia	Andrea Maiorano (2014-2016) Currently a Scientific Officer at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Parma, Italy	Anne Plessis (2010–2012) Currently a Lecturer at Plymouth University UK, Plymouth
Zhanwu Dai (2009–2010) Currently a Professor at the Institute of Botany, China Academy of Science (CAS) Beijing, China	Jianqiang He (2009–2010) Currently a Professor at the Northwest A&F University Yangling, Shaanxi, China	Delphine Moreau (2007–2008) Currently an INRAE Research Director at UMR Agroecology Dijon, France

Former PhD students

Cyrille Midingoyi (2018–2020) Currently a CIRAD Research Scientist UPR, Aïda Montpellier, France	Maeva Baumont (2015–2018) Currently an ARVALIS Research Engineer Montardon, France	Titouan Bonnot (2013–2016) Currently an INRAE Research Scientist at UMR Agroecology Dijon, France
Jonathan Vincent (2010–2014) Currently a Data Consultant at Atos Clermont-Ferrand, France	Hayet Neghliz (2009–2010) Currently a Lecturer Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) Alger, Algeria	Jessica Bertheloot (2005–2009) Currently an INRAE Research Scientist at UMR IRHS Angers, France