Klervia Jaouen studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon, where she specialized in geochemistry. Since her thesis, she has been interested in the applications of non-traditional isotopic systems developed in this field to answer archaeological questions.
She spent seven years in the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, where she specialized in the use of zinc isotopes to reconstruct the diets of past populations. Her research was initially funded by a grant from the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), then by an ERC (European Research Council) grant, which enabled her to launch a project at the CNRS GET at the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, where she was recruited in 2020.
In 2022, Klervia Jaouen was awarded the CNRS Bronze Medal, and she defended her HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in 2024. Her ERC project focuses on the interest of stable zinc isotopes in tracing the development of frequent fish consumption in our species. Within this framework, she is also interested in other complementary developments, notably the use of nitrogen and carbon isotope compositions of collagen amino acids.
Alongside her research, Klervia Jaouen is actively involved in the equality mission within her laboratory, helping to promote equality and inclusivity in scientific research.