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

 The P&E team is composed of 3 scientists, 1 engineer, 1 technician and usually hosts 2 to 5 PhD students and postdocs. P&E’s research aims at understanding the regulatory mechanisms of solar energy capture and atmospheric CO₂ reduction by plants and microalgae. The objective of our team is to identify and characterize the factors that determine photosynthetic performance. To do this, we seek to better understand the mechanisms of acclimation to light and the CO₂ content in the atmosphere. We also work towards understanding how light absorption, electron transfer, CO₂ capture and assimilation into sugars are integrated in the chloroplast and the plant cell and how they control the resilience and efficiency of photosynthesis. Our work ranges from the molecular level, including the structure-function relationships of photosynthetic complexes and their metabolic and protein interactions, to the broader level of plant physiology in cells and leaves. To this end, we use a combination of mutants, physiology and molecular analysis to understand electron transport and carbon fixation networks (publications). We have developed original tools and methods for the non-invasive monitoring of photosynthesis, using state-of-the-art scientific equipment (tools). Our ultimate aim is to use this knowledge to design more robust and higher carbon assimilating plants and algae for future applications in agriculture and biotechnology in a climate change context.