Short Biography
I have been a permanent researcher of the French Government since 1993. My position is that of “Physicienne des Observatoires" ("Classe exceptionnelle", highest level) which is a specific position in France somehow equivalent to Professor of Universities, and whose tasks include 50 % of academic research, 30 % of Observation for National Services in Geosciences, and 20 % of Teaching duties. I have devoted my whole scientific career to seismotectonics, with a special emphasis on seismogenic faults and their relations to large earthquakes. I got my PhD in 1993 from IPGP, Paris, on the mechanisms of active extension and rifting in Afar, East Africa, under the co-supervision of P. Tapponnier (tectonics) and V. Courtillot (paleomagnetism). My first ten years of career in IPGP were a time when I mainly worked on plate- and regional- scale tectonics, dedicated to understand the mechanisms of continental rifting and oceanic spreading, and the relationships between tectonics and magmatism. I then moved to Lamont, New York, USA, for 1.5 years, where I worked with Chris Scholz and focused on fault mechanics. Over the following 10 years which I mostly spent in the LGIT laboratory (now ISTerre), Grenoble, France, and at USC, California, USA, for a 2 years-visiting period, I devoted my work to analyze and understand the relationships between the properties of the tectonic faults and the properties of the large earthquakes they produce. Now in the GEOAZUR laboratory, Nice, France (which belongs to the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, OCA, and to the Université Côte d’Azur, UniCA), since the end of 2010, I have expanded my work on fault and earthquakes properties, on developing novel paleoseismological approaches to recover pre-historical earthquake histories, and on developing new approaches for automatic fault mapping in Earth images with deep learning. In 2003, I have been awarded by the French Academy of Science, for my innovative work on normal fault mechanics.
EDUCATION
• IPGP, Paris, HDR, Mechanisms of continental rupture, 2002.
• IPGP, Paris, PhD Thesis, Dynamics of extensional systems in Afar, 1993.
CAREER
• Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, GEOAZUR, “Physicienne des Observatoires de classe exceptionnelle, Ech2” since 2020. *Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, GEOAZUR, “Physicienne des Observatoires de classe exceptionnelle, Ech1”, 2016-2019.
• Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (OCA), GEOAZUR, Nice, “Physicienne des Observatoires, 1ère classe”, 2010-2016.
• Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), LGIT, Grenoble, “Physicienne des Observatoires, 2ème classe”, 2003-2010.
• University of Southern California (USC and SCEC), Los Angeles, USA, Visiting Scientist, 2002-2004.
• Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), “Physicienne Adjointe des Observatoires” (Research assistant), 1993-2003.
• Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia Univ., New York, 1996-1997.
• Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), “Attachée temporaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche” (teaching assistant), 1991-1993.
• Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), PhD Thesis, 1989-1992.
• British Petroleum-France Exploration,Assistant geologist, 1988 (6 months).
• Elf-Aquitaine-Norway Exploration, Assistant geologist, 1986 (3 months).
EXPERIENCE AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
• Tectonicist, Researcher of the French Government since 1993, Active Tectonics, Fault and Earthquake mechanics, Paleoseismology, Geomorphology, Remote sensing.
* Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth, AGU (01/2020-12/2023) (see https://eos.org/editors-vox/reflecting-on-4-years-at-the-helm-of-emjgr-solid-earth-em)
• Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth, from 2002 to 2017 ; Editor of Comptes Rendus Geoscience, Académie des Sciences, France (2013-2019)
• Visiting Researcher: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 2002-2004 ; Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, New York, 1996-1997.
• Deputy Director of Geoazur laboratory (2016-2019) ; head of Fault and Earthquake Dynamics team, Géoazur, 2011-2014 ; head of Seismic Cycle and Transient Deformation team, ISTerre, 2007-2010.
• Member of National and local Research Committees: Research Council of Nice University, 2012-2019 ; Head of Academy of Excellence "Natural and Anthropogenic hazards" of IDEX UCA-JEDI (2015-2020) ; Research and Academic Councils of Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, 2014-2015 ; Solid Earth National CNAP committee, 2011-2015 ; Council of Geoazur Laboratory, 2010-2014 ; National Alliance AllEnvi on Natural and Environment hazards 2010-2018 ; Head of National INSU committee ‘Telluric hazards and Risks’, 2009-2011 ; National Specialized Committee in Earth Sciences, CSST, 2009-2011 ; National Solid Earth committee of CNRS (section 18), 2004-2008 ; Council of LGIT Laboratory, 2007-2010 ; National CNU 36 committee, 2000-2003.
• Ambassador for INSU-CNRS, Presentation of the theme “from seismic hazard to exploration of the Earth-25 years of research and progress”, for 25 years-anniversary of INSU-CNRS, 2010
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
* Principal Investigator, project INTELLIGENT_MAPPING (deep learning to map hazard features in Earth images, 1.3 million euros, National Research Agency, PEPR IRIMA 2024-2030)
• PI of FAULTS_R_GEMS ANR Project, 600 000 dollars, 10 French Laboratories, 5 European and American Laboratories, 2017-2025.
• Scientific PI of the EPOS-ERIC project « hosting headquarters of EPOS-ERIC in Nice », 2014.
• PI of CENTURISK ANR Project, 700,000 dollars, 5 French Laboratories, 2 New-Zealand Laboratories, 2010-2014.
• Principal Contributor to the XTREM Labex project (eXTReme phenomena on Earth and in Macrocosm), 8 Laboratories in Nice in Geophysics, Astrophysics, Physics and Maths, 2011.
• PI of QUAKonSCARPS ANR Project, 700,000 dollars, 3 French laboratories, 2006-2010.
• PI of the Tectonics Work-package of the G-GAP ANR Project, 700,000 dollars, 5 French laboratories, 2008-2012.
• Leader of the National CNRS-INSU “Horn of Africa” project, 20 laboratories, 1998-2002.
• PI of multiple scientific projects (i.e., fundings < 30,000-50,000 dollars) since 1993.
• Leader of multiple tectonic field trips since 1990 (East Africa –Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea– over 15 years, Yemen, Lebanon, Lesser Antilles, Italy, New Zealand, USA, France, etc.), and co-PI of two geophysical marine cruises (Tadjouraden, R/V Atalante, 1995, and Aguadomar, R/V Atalante, 1998).
TEACHING AND STUDENT SUPERVISION
• 25 PhD Theses supervised or co-supervised.
• About 100 student internships of various levels.
• Active Tectonics and faults & earthquakes classes at various levels, some in high-level, Erasmus classes (in English).
AWARDS
• Member of the Société Philomathique de Paris, since 2018.
• Chevalier des Palmes Académiques, 2012.
• French Academy of Science, Award « M. Gouilloud Schlumberger », 2003, for innovative work on active normal faulting.
• Annual bonus awarding research and teaching quality since 1993.
OTHERS
• Professional training to team and project management, 2008 and 2013.
PUBLICATION RECORD
see Google citations: https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=lrQfB1sAAAAJ&hl=fr
OTHER SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION
• at least 1 meeting per year, most at AGU Fall meeting, USA.
• Science outreach through articles, communications and films for the public (see example : theconversation.com)
