You will benefit from the expertise of the host team and from the environment of the BIAM institute, CEA and Aix-Marseille University.

You will be working in the “Bioenergy and Microalgae” team, which is composed of 4 scientists, 4 engineers, 3 technicians and usually 3-5 PhD students and postdocs.

The main objectives of the EBM team is to explore the potential of microalgae for biotechnological applications especially in the field of bioenergy. Specifically, we study the processes of photo-reduction of CO₂ to the formation and storage of energy-rich molecules (such as lipids and alkanes). The research is based on genetic, biochemical, lipidomic and biophysical approaches developed on model organisms such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to identify the key genes of photosynthesis and lipid metabolism, and on an exploration of biodiversity to search for enzymes, metabolic pathways or photosynthetic microorganisms of interest.

The recent work of the team has led to several discoveries such as  i) the light driven synthesis of hydrocarbon in microalgae by a novel photoenzyme, the fatty acid photodecarboxylase (FAP); ii) the source(s) of energy essential for CO₂ concentrating mechanisms (CCM) in microalgae; or iii) the importance of energy trafficking between subcellular organelles for CO₂ fixation and cell fitness (publications). These work are supported by various tools we have developed over the years which are collectively housed in the HelioBiotec platform.

We cover a wide range of fields from algal physiology to lipid metabolism, photosynthesis, and the discovery of new enzymes. We strive to shed light on the fundamental understanding of algal physiology and metabolism, with a view to applications in the fields of bioenergy, CO₂ fixation and the production of high value-added molecules.