Scientific Team

LEGOS (Laboratory for Studies in Geophysics and Spatial Oceanography) located in Toulouse (Université Toulouse III/IRD/CNRS/CNES) specializes in physical oceanography and climate variability. The DYNOTROP and MOANA teams focus on oceanic and atmospheric processes in the Tropics, with particular emphasis on ocean currents and ocean-atmosphere interactions at various scales.
Team:  S. Cravatte (PI); L. Renault (IRD); J. Boucharel (IRD); E. Kestenare (IR IRD); A. Ganachaud (DR IRD, New Caledonia)

LEMAR (Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences) in France (IRD/CNRS/UBO/Ifremer) is a multidisciplinary laboratory uniting ecologists, biologists, biogeochemists, chemists, physicists, marine environmental law specialists, and economists. Its objectives include basic and applied research, sustainable development, innovation linked to the economic sector, and public policy support.
Team: A. Comte (CR IRD) and Jérémie Le Luyer (Ecophysiologist)

CEFE (Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology) in Montpellier is the largest ecology research center in Europe. It brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds to study socio-ecological interactions and promote sustainable natural resource management, both in France and internationally.
Team: Sophie Caillon (IRD)

LOPS (Laboratory of Physical Oceanography and Remote Sensing), located in Brest (CNRS/Ifremer/IRD/UBO), focuses on coastal ocean studies, ocean climatology, satellite remote sensing, and air-sea dynamics. LOPS is part of the European University Institute of the Sea (IUEM) and the Ifremer department of Oceanography and Ecosystem Dynamics.
Team: E. Autret (Ifremer)

MARBEC (Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation, and Conservation), based in Sète and Montpellier (France), conducts research on marine biodiversity in lagoon, coastal, and oceanic ecosystems across multiple levels, from molecular aspects to human interactions with biodiversity. MARBEC combines interdisciplinary expertise and participates in many national and international projects.
Team: M. Lengaigne (DR IRD); C. Dutheil (CR IRD); P. Guillotreau (DR IRD); B. Geffroy (Ifremer)

MIO (Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography), based in Marseille, is one of France’s leading marine science institutes with 250 collaborators. It focuses on the interactions between marine microorganisms and biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen in a changing ocean. The MIO has a branch in Noumea, New Caledonia, hosted by IRD.
Team: Sophie Bonnet (DR IRD)

IHPE (Host-Pathogen-Environment Interactions Laboratory), based in Montpellier and Perpignan (CNRS/Ifremer/University of Montpellier/University of Perpignan), studies interactions between hosts, pathogens, and environments using a OneHealth approach. It explores rapid adaptive responses of natural populations to global changes driven by the Anthropocene.
Team: J. Vidal-Dupiol (Ifremer)

ENTROPIE (Ecology of Tropical Marine Ecosystems of the Pacific and Indian Oceans) is a collaborative laboratory (IRD, CNRS, Universities of La Réunion and New Caledonia, Ifremer) that studies the evolutionary processes and resilience of reef and oceanic ecosystems through an integrative approach combining ecology, ecophysiology, marine genetics, remote sensing, and signal processing. Many ENTROPIE scientists are based in New Caledonia.
Team: C. Menkes (DR IRD), M. Mangeas (DR IRD), S. Fiat (IE IRD), F. Houlbrèque (CR IRD), R. Rodolfo-Metalpa (CR IRD), M. Kayal (CR IRD), M. Adjeroud (DR IRD), S. Andréfouët (DR IRD, French Polynesia), R. Le Gendre (Ifremer)

PHYTOX (Physiology and Toxins of Harmful Algae), based at Ifremer in Nantes, specializes in the analysis of toxins and physiology of harmful microalgae, including those responsible for ciguatera poisoning. PHYTOX focuses on the physiological mechanisms of harmful microalgae, the diversity and role of algal toxins, and emerging risks linked to these toxins across various ecosystems.
Team: M. Sibat (Ifremer), P. Hess (Ifremer)

ISEA (Institute of Exact and Applied Sciences) at the University of New Caledonia (EA 7484) conducts interdisciplinary research aimed at understanding tropical terrestrial and coastal environments in response to natural and anthropogenic pressures. ISEA uses metabolomics tools to characterize biodiversity and explore mechanisms that promote the production of biomolecules of interest.
Team: N. Lebouvier (Associate Professor, HDR)

SECOPOL (Island Ecosystem Health and Services), a research unit based in French Polynesia (UFP/Ifremer/IRD/ILM), seeks to better understand natural and exploited island ecosystems in Oceania to support sustainable development by identifying natural resources and modeling the impacts of climate change on these ecosystems.
Team: T. Izumo (CR IRD), G. Mitta (Ifremer), C. Monaco (Ifremer), A. Lo Yat (Ifremer), T. Camus (Ifremer), M. Sham Koua (Ifremer), J. Rouxel (Ifremer), M. Chinain (ILM, French Polynesia), C. Gatti (Ifremer)

ESPACE-DEV (Space-Development), a collaboration among several institutions in France and New Caledonia, gathers 175 members. Its research focuses on characterizing socio-environmental systems and preparing for sustainable transitions, with a particular emphasis on island and coastal territories.
Team: C. Sabinot (IRD), M. Riechers (Thünen Institute), G. David (IRD)

LARJE (Laboratory of Legal and Economic Research) at the University of New Caledonia, created in 1999, specializes in legal, economic, and management studies of islands, with a focus on legal and human pluralism and the country's emancipation. It supports public policies and local human activities in New Caledonia, while contributing to the CRESICA research and innovation consortium.
Team: Séverine Blaise (Assistant Professor in Economics)

SENS (Knowledge, Environment, Societies), a multidisciplinary research unit based in Montpellier (CIRAD, IRD, University Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3), focuses on the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of current environmental dynamics, with particular expertise in marine and territorial governance in Oceania.
Team: Elodie Fache (IRD)

PALOC (Local Heritage, Environment, and Globalization), based in Paris, is an interdisciplinary research unit operating under the aegis of IRD and the National Museum of Natural History. PALOC critically implements the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to address major challenges related to environmental, economic, social, and cultural changes on a global scale.
Team: Ariadna Burgos (IRD)

LETG (Littoral, Environment, Remote Sensing, Geomatics) is an interdisciplinary research unit in France, bringing together researchers in physical and human geography, geomatic sciences, and archaeology. LETG studies nature-society interactions through a modeling approach, especially in marine and coastal spaces as well as continental environments.
Team: Teriitutea Quesnot (UBO)

SeDyL (Structure and Dynamics of Languages), under the supervision of CNRS, INALCO, and IRD, specializes in the description, documentation, and typology of world languages. It also studies multilingualism and language policies, especially in the Global South. SeDyL is known for its expertise in linguistic diversity and its socio-cultural impact.
Team: Valelia Muni Toke (IRD)

CRIOBE (Island Research Center and Environment Observatory), based in France and French Polynesia, specializes in the study of coral reefs. It analyzes reef resilience to environmental disruptions to inform sustainable ecosystem management policies.
Team: Jean Wencélius (IRD), Tamatoa Bambridge (IRD)

IAC (Agronomy Institute of New Caledonia) supports natural resource conservation and agricultural development in New Caledonia. It specializes in family farming, ecosystem management, and rural practices, in relation to the social and economic dynamics of island territories. Team: Séverine Bouard (IAC), Jonas Brouillon (IAC)