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I am interested in the modelling of biological phenomena and in the identification of the mechanisms behind a globally observed pattern. During my PhD the patterns were predator-prey dynamics and I was trying to identify the underlying functional response (predator consumption). Since my arrival at the CRCA in 2001 (CAB research group) my interests have shifted to the self-oganized phenomena that can be found in social insects. Direct animal observation permits to quantify and model their individual behaviour, which in turn allows to predict (and validate) what should be observed on the collective level. This multi-scale approach (individual and collective) requires to combine tools from statistics and dynamical systems. The current surge in Systems Biology relies exactly on this combination of biological experiment, statistical analysis and dynamic modelling. The self-organized processes in social insects are a compelling biological system where one can control and validate all the steps. See my habilitation thesis for a summary of my activity between 2001 and 2015.
I am particuarly involved in the construction phenomena in social insects such as ants or termites: experimental study, characterisation of the individual behaviours and modelling in order to link to the resulting collective behaviors to the underlying individual behaviour.
See my google page for more information about reception of my research in the scientific community.
