I did my PhD in the lab of François Schweisguth at the Pasteur Institute (2007-2011). We identified the Neuralized protein and a family of Neuralized inhibitors called the Bearded proteins as novel regulators of epithelial cell polarity remodeling. (Previously, they were only known for their roles in Notch signaling). We also showed that these proteins regulate cell contractility during gastrulation in the Drosophila embryo.
Then, I joined the lab of Adam Martin at MIT (Cambridge, US) for my postdoc (2012-2017). I studied how developmental processes such as tissue invagination and cell division are regulated by mechanical signals in addition to biochemical signals in the Drosophila embryo. We discovered that mechanical constraints within a tissue can influence individual cell behavior and impact on the orientation of cytoskeletal structures.
I joined the lab of Jean-René Huynh in 2018, to work on the mechanical regulation of egg-chamber formation which is the primary structure (equivalent to the vertebrate follicle) that will support the development of the oocyte. We discover that germ cells generate and transmit mechanical forces, which is crucial for their proper development. In 2020 I got a permanent CNRS position to continue to investigate the mechanical and biochemical regulation of egg-chamber formation.
