Recognizing Plant Physiology author Solène Moulin

Solène Moulin, first author of Fatty acid photodecarboxylase is an ancient photoenzyme that forms hydrocarbons in the thylakoids of algae

Current Position: On the way for a postdoc at Stanford University in Ellen Yeh’s Lab

Education: PhD in Plant Biology, Aix-Marseille University

Non-scientific Interests: Illustration, biking, kayaking, hiking, sailing and skiing

Brief bio: I am a very curious person who likes to understand how things work and I love to contribute to new discoveries that will help to cope with tomorrow’s challenges. After my studies at the Ecole Normale Supérieure Ulm, I got specialized in plant science. I am interested in this research field because plants are critical for environment as well as for food and bio-energy production. In 2016, I joined CEA Cadarache for my PhD which led me to participate in a research program on hydrocarbon synthesis in algae. I really liked this project which was focusing on both reaching a bio-based production of hydrocarbons for fuel production and deciphering of the hydrocarbon synthesis pathway in algae. I have been leading research to assess the occurrence of this pathway in the different types of eukaryotic algae, its evolutionary history and its relevance for algal physiology. I am now going to study another evolutionary history that has led to a symbiosis between a diatom and a N-fixing cyanobacteria, the latest being on its way to become an organelle. Understanding the physiological relationship between the diatom and the cyanobacteria will help understanding nitrogen cycle and could lead to major innovations in farming.