My scientific career has undergone two major career transitions. First, after my PhD and postdoctoral work in organic chemistry, I made a fundamental shift in my research program when I became a principal investigator in 2012 at the CNRS (France), moving from organic chemistry to interdisciplinary studies of tropical ecosystems. Based in French Guiana in the biodiversity-rich Amazon rainforest, I broadened my expertise in ecology and evolution through combining biological interaction studies with chemical analysis. Between 2012 and 2020, I studied plant-insect-microbe symbiosis, malaria transmission-blocking molecule, and latex chemical diversity in tropical tree species across phylogenetic scales, as well as applied research in wood chemistry.
My subsequent move to Cornell University in 2021 marks a second major career transition - this time to agricultural chemistry. Unlike my first transition, this one was facilitated by nearly a decade of prior experience as a principal investigator, which allowed me to quickly integrate different perspectives and methodologies. I aim to establish a broad research program integrating chemical ecology/evolution, insect behavior and pest management to improve sustainable and precision agriculture in alignment with the mission of Cornell University, CALS, and Cornell AgriTech.
Research
The overall aim of my research is to advance interdisciplinary studies at the interface of chemical ecology, chemical evolution, and agricultural chemistry, with a particular focus on plant-insect interactions and sustainable pest management. I study how specialist and generalist insect herbivores adapt to plant toxins within the framework of the phytochemical co-evolution hypothesis, using chemical and genomic tools to uncover sequestration and detoxification mechanisms. A major goal is to translate these findings into novel crop protection strategies. Another major focus is the development of innovative methods to enhance the detection of pheromones and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to decipher plant-plant, plant-insect, and insect-insect communications and improve early detection of pathogens in crops. Additionally, my work bridges basic and applied research by optimizing insect pest trapping systems, extending the longevity of pheromone lures, and enhancing pesticide efficacy with adjuvants, contributing to sustainable pest management practices and precision agriculture.
My current research program has three main objectives:
(1) to advance pest management through chemical ecology and agricultural chemistry,
(2) to elucidate the chemical ecology of insect herbivores detoxification and sequestration strategies,
(3) to study the chemical evolution of plant toxins and insect pheromones.
Extension
My extension responsibilities include: (1) collaborating with businesses and industry to evaluate and develop new technologies that enhance the productivity and sustainability of growers and food producers, driving economic development, (2) leading knowledge translation efforts on the use of insect-, plant-, and microbe-produced volatile organic compounds and agricultural chemicals for pest and disease management, and (3) training students and postdoctoral scholars in chemistry techniques and methods to support their research in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Expertise: Organic Chemistry; Natural Product Chemistry; Metabolomics; Chemical Ecology; Chemical Evolution; Insect-Microbe Symbiosis; Plant/Insect/Microbe Chemical Interaction; Integrated Pest Management; Agricultural Chemistry
