About me
I am currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Training and Research Department at the Fishery and Marine Science Institute (IH.SM) of the University of Toliara, Madagascar. I hold a BSc and MSc in Marine and Fishery Sciences from IH.SM and obtained a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Mons, Belgium. My PhD thesis, entitled “Evaluation of the biological, economic, and social potential of community-based coral farming in southwestern Madagascar,” was awarded the HERA Doctoral Thesis Award in 2017 and again in 2020.
In 2023, I was a visiting lecturer at Harvard University, I had the honor of lecturing at the University of Mons in 2017 and 2022, and I gave seminar to several International Universities and International Organizations such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), WIOMSA, the UN General Assembly, etc.. I also serve as a board member of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and am a member of the Coral Reef Task Force of the Nairobi Convention. Additionally, I coordinate the Madagascar Coral Reef Network.
My Research Interests
In 2020, I founded and led the Coral Reef Research Education and Conservation Team (CoRRECT), which evolved into the M&C Environment Laboratory three years later to encompass other critical ecosystems such as seagrass beds, mangroves, and oceanography. My research, along with my team, focuses on critical habitats and ecosystems, including coral reefs. Our studies cover a range of topics from biodiversity (identification of scleractinians and black corals) and ecology (health status, resilience) to biology applied to restoration and fisheries (coral farming, artificial reefs) and management tools (remote sensing, community approaches, education).
