I got a B.S in cellular biology and genetics from the University Paul Sabatier (Toulouse, France) and a M.S in cellular and molecular biology from the University Louis Pasteur (Strasbourg, France). I then got a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex (UK) where my main focus was evolution and development. In 2000, after the completion of my PhD, I worked in Jonathan Blagburn’s lab at the Institute of Neurobiology (UPR). I worked on the transcription factor Engrailed and its role in specifying neuronal development/connectivity. In 2002, I took a second postdoctoral position at UCSF in Grae Davis’ lab where I worked on the molecular control of synaptic function and homeostatic compensation.
I work at the Institute of Neurobiology since 2008. At this time (2016-2017) my lab is composed of 5 graduate students and a part-time technician. We use the Drosophila neuromuscular junction as a model system and we perform classical genetics, optogenetics, confocal imaging, live imaging, electron microscopy and electrophysiological recordings.
We have funding from NSF and NIH. Our work focuses on 1-) the influence of temperature and contaminants on synaptic development, function and stability and 2) the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity, in particular the choice between change and stability.