Mazzarine Laboureau
PhD student
mazzarine.laboureau@unine.ch
D205
+41 32 718 22 68
Research interests
My research focuses on exploring the complex molecular structures of living species through the lens of analytical chemistry. As sessile organisms, plants produce an immense diversity of compounds throughout their lives to adapt to environmental conditions. Phytochemical compounds, for example, play an essential role in enhancing UV tolerance, resisting extreme temperatures, and repelling herbivores and pathogens. Studying this chemical diversity, also known as the “plant metabolome,” is thus crucial for understanding the functioning of organisms and ecosystems.
Thesis
Accelerating the discovery of chemical diversity in plants is now essential, especially as global biodiversity is under threat, with an estimated 20% of known species at risk of extinction. My thesis work aims to comprehensively characterize the chemical diversity of thousands of plant species using state-of-the-art analytical chemistry technologies (mass spectrometry-UPLC-MS) combined with recent advances in bioinformatics (machine learning and artificial intelligence). By accessing the plant collections in the Swiss botanical garden, I can analyze nearly 10% of the world’s plant diversity in record time.
Main Objectives
1. Optimization of sampling methods to improve plant metabolome analysis.
2. Development of bioinformatics analysis procedures to characterize the metabolome of many plant species simultaneously.
3. Description of environmental and evolutionary factors influencing chemical diversity within plant communities and species.
4. Global prediction of chemical diversity and identification of molecular families at risk of extinction.
