Curriculum Vitae

Education and experiences

  • Postdoc under the supervision of Claire Eschbach, Claire's Website NeuroPSI Paris Saclay NeuroPSI website (2024-now)

    «Developing 2-photon imaging with in vivo optogenetic stimulation of the larval brain of Drosophila melanogaster.»

    I am now studying the formation of flexible memory as a key ability to track the value of a choice outcome for adaptive decisions in dynamic environments. I am looking at how brain circuits compute such values in the larval brain of Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila larvae uniquely allow a combination of sophisticated, multi-scale, approaches. With online tracking, specific genetic targeting of neurons (to e.g. activate, silence, or image neuronal activity), computational modelling of networks, and the use of a detailed connectome as a road map, we can study the way recurrent networks implement reinforcement learning to an unprecedented level of precision. Using these advanced neurogenetics approaches I am recording specific dopamine neuron activity, both Calcium and dopamine release (a red fluorescent GPCR-activation–based dopamine sensors, GRABDA), using 2-photon microscopy either with the larva brain in-vivo (agar technique) or ex-vivo. First, I am looking at surprisingly inerrant activity fluctuations depending on the dopamine neuron. Associated with optogenetics and pharmacological stimulation I want to identify the identity of each neuron and how those inerrant fluctuations impact behaviour. Secondly, I am quantifying the dopamine realise when a neuron receives different levels of optogenetic activation. This will help us better understand larva behaviour when experiencing optogenetic activation and will be a base for further studies. On the other hand, I am helping in the making of a decision-making Y maze, with odour release, to quantify decisions while optogenetically activating specific neurons.

  • Postdoc under the supervision of Bradley DickersonBrad's Website Princeton Neuroscience Institute PNI website (2022-2024)

    «Functional Stratification of Sensory Encoding in a Biological Gyroscope».

    Flies have developed elegant solutions to navigate their environment. One of the reasons for Dipterans’ flight abilities comes from the halteres, a specialized mechanosensory organ known to be the only biological gyroscope. Recent work shows that the haltere also provides crucial timing information to the flight circuit on a stroke-by-stroke basis via modulation of a set of tiny muscles that insert at the base of the haltere (Dickerson et al., 2019). This sensory input helps structure the timing of the steering muscles, which ultimately control wing motion and aerodynamic force production. Halteres are covered in arrays of strain-sensitive mechanosensors known as campaniform sensilla, that are arranged in distinct groups on the dorsal and ventral aspects of the haltere and may exhibit different directional sensitivities. However, due to the difficulty of studying the haltere–a tiny moving structure–during flight, this longstanding hypothesis remains untested. Using a genetically encoded calcium indicator expressed in the haltere afferents of Drosophila, our goal is to uncover how sensory information is encoded by these arrays during visually mediated flight maneuvers.

    Related papers: Verbe et al. 2024.

  • Ph.D directed by Stéphane ViolletLink to ResearchGate profil and Jean-Louis VercherLink to ResearchGate profil ISM– Marseille Link to ISM website (2017-2021)

    «Aerial righting reflex of hoverflies».

    When taking off from a sloping surface, flies have to reorient themselves dorsoventrally and stabilize their body by actively controlling their flapping wings. We study for the first time the aerial righting reflex in wing insects. We study in three stages the righting of Episyrphus balteatus's aerial righting reflex. In a first step, we look for a modeling of the aerial righting reflex, followed by a study of the stimuli taken individually to finally consider the multimodal analysis of their impact.

    Related papers: Verbe et al. 2023. , Verbe et al. 2020., Goulard et al. 2018.

  • Master's degree in Behavioural Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity (2015-2017)
  • Master’s internship second year. Advisors: Jérôme Casas Link to ResearchGate profil and M. Miguel Pineirua Menendez.Link to website IRBI– Tours Link to IRBI website (6 months - 2017)

    « The effects of the pressure exerted by the legs on the locomotion performance of an insect on sandy slopes ».

    The modes of locomotion of insects on a granular medium are dependent on the inclination of this medium. Several mechanisms are involved in this variation in performance : the pattern of locomotion, the ability of an individual to deform the surface and maintain its stability and the presence or absence of slips. A previous study has shown that the pressure exerted by an inert object on an inclined substrate strongly influences its stability and the deformation of the medium.

    We applied this approach to the locomotion of Pyrrhocoris apterus under six different conditions: on three flat or inclined substrates of different bead diameters. Locomotion performance depends on the pressure exerted by the insect on the environment : fast locomotion for individuals exerting low pressure, slow for those exerting high pressure. We have also shown that the tripod locomotion is fast while the metachronal gait is associated with locomotion difficulties. The deformations of the substrate correlate well with the predictions of the theoretical model, which is therefore validated as a whole. However, adjustments are necessary to take into account the aspect ratio of the legs and the dynamics of locomotion.

    Related paper: Piñeirua et al. 2023. See more

  • Master’s internship first year. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Claudio Lazzari.Link to ResearchGate profil IRBI– Tours Link to IRBI website (3 months - 2016)

    « Response of male Aedes aegypti to signals associated with vertebrate hosts and females».

    Aedes aegypti is a species of great health importance as it is the main vector of yellow fever, dengue, Chikungunya and Zika disease in the tropics and subtropics. The host can be detected by the blood-sucking insect via signals of various kinds: visual, chemical and thermal. Females of Aedes aegypti are known to have the ability to discriminate temperatures, but it is widely accepted that males of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes do not respond to signals characteristic of vertebrate hosts because, unlike females, they do not feed of blood. It is also accepted that male-female dating is done only through vibrational communication. However, the presence of heat receptors in both females and males suggests that males may detect signals from the host. The presence of aggregating pheromones, which may play a role in sexual recognition in some species of mosquitoes, suggests that pheromones may be involved in communication between the two sexes.

    We analyzed for the first time the response of male mosquitoes to signals typically associated with vertebrate hosts in the presence and absence of females. The underlying hypothesis to be tested was that males are attracted to cues from a vertebrate host only if other signals at the same time reveal proximity to females. Our study has shown that male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes perceive and move towards a source of CO2 and that they are attracted to heat sources if females are nearby.

  • Bachelor in Sciences - Integrative and Evolutionary Biology. François Rabelais University, Tours, France. (2012-2015)

Papers and others publications

Conference

  • The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology (SICB), Seattle, USA, 2024. Keynote Talk
  • Gordon Research Conference and Seminar. Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology. 2023. USA. Poster
  • Structure and Function of the Insect Central Comple, Janelia, USA, 2022. Talk
  • Société Francaise pour l'Etude du Comportement Animal (SFECA), Online, 2021. Oral presentation.
  • Animal Behaviour Live, Online, 2020. Virtual Poster presentation.
  • Doctoral Day (JED), Marseille, 2019. Poster. Award Best Poster.
  • IFE, Paris, 2019. Poster. Award Best Poster.
  • Interdisciplinary day, Marseille, 2019. Poster and Talk.

Workshop

  • BioInspired Sensing Computing and Control with International Teams - SOAR/BISCIT, Washington DC, 2023. Lighting talk
  • SOAR/BISCIT, London, UK, 2024. Invited Keynote talk

Knowledge

  • Theoretical skills: Behaviour, Mechanosensors, Locomotion, Insects, Control theory, Neurosciences, Optogenetics, CA2+, Connectomics, Fruit flies’ genetics.
  • Languages: French and English
  • Coding: Python, Matlab, R, C++, HTML, CSS
  • Technical skills: Setup building, Fast camera, Calcium imaging, 2-photon, Optogenetics, In-vivo and Ex-vivo recording, Dissection, Small electronics, 3D printing and laser cutting.
  • Computer skills: Deeplabcut, ImageJ, Tracker, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Premiere Pro, Blender, 3D Autodesk Fusion 360,
  • Teaching
  • Organisation of a professional event Link to the event website and an Invertebrate seminar at Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Interest and other informations