About me
I am currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Fishery and Marine Science Institute (IH.SM) of the University of Toliara, Madagascar. Currently a Correspondant Member of the Malagasy Academia, 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.
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.
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..
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).
Teaching
Currently, I am in charge of five classes, with the help of four assistants and two lecturers:
- Scientific Research Methodology
- Physical and Biological Interactions
I am also teaching Coral Reef Ecology and Management for the School of International Training (USA), and Coral Reef Ecology and Coral Farming within the Marine Biology Course of the University of Liège and Mons (Belgium)
Between 2011 and 2015, while serving as an assistant lecturer and adjunct instructor, I taught introductory courses on fisheries and marine sciences for first-year students, conducted practical and theoretical sessions in cell biology, supervised Master’s students on study trips (covering biodiversity and conservation, ecotourism and development, urban pollution and public health, fisheries and aquaculture), and assisted with environmental diagnostics for the urban commune of Nosy Be/PIC Nosy.
From 2015 to 2021, as a permanent Assistant Lecturer and Research Scientist, I took charge of the introductory computer tools course for first-year students and participated in short-cycle training sessions organized at IH.SM.
Since 2020, I have been officially reclassified as an Associate Professor. My teaching responsibilities have since increased. I was responsible for eight courses within the Master’s program in Marine and Fisheries Sciences at IH.SM, and three courses at the Higher Institute of Education in Anosy. Additionally, I taught courses on the basics of aquaculture and marine ecotoxicology to third-year undergraduate students, and a course on conservation biology to first-year Master’s students at the Higher Institute of Education in Anosy, Tolognaro.
Mentoring and Supervising
To date (2026), I have supervised 87 theses and dissertations, including 12 doctoral dissertations (6 of which have been defended), 32 DEA and Master’s theses, 20 bachelor’s theses, and more than 23 international students.
Moreover, since 2022, I have been mentoring 2-4 Global Sustainability Scholars and Fellows annually from the GSS program, and hosting several interns from the University of Brussels and Liège (Belgium), as well as students from the School of International Training, among others.
