Nathalie Chèvre (Head of the group) – personal website
contact: nathalie.chevre[at]unil.ch
Noémie Bagnoud (Master)
The aim of Noémie’s master thesis is to study the influence of tourism on the presence of pharmaceutical residues in the waters of the Mattervispa River in Zermatt. To achieve this, surface water samples will be collected at different points along the river during a period of high tourist activity and during a period of low tourist activity. The objective is to gain a better understanding of the pressure exerted by tourism on surface waters in alpine regions and to determine whether tourist activity contributes to the introduction of new substances into the aquatic environment
Imene Benali (invited Post-doc)
Imene and our group collaborate for more than 5 years. Imene is assessing the impact of pollutant in Algeria by measuring biomarkers in different types of mussels.
Imene is working at the University USTO/MB at Oran, Algeria.
Loïc Cattin (PhD)
Loïc Cattin’s research focuses on anthropogenic pressures on the environment, with a particular emphasis on chemical pollution. His work lies at the crossroads of ecotoxicology, conservation biology, and environmental geosciences. Within his PhD project, he will investigate the effects of emerging pollutants on soil ecosystems, particularly veterinary products such as antibiotics and antiparasitic agents.
During his Master thesis, Loïc has worked on the development of minimally invasive methods for monitoring enzymatic biomarkers in amphibians using saliva samples (GST, EROD and AChE). The aim was to propose new methods aligned with the 3Rs principle, which seek to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research. After his studies, he was involved on a variety of applied environmental projects, including the assessment of combined sewer overflow management practices and sustainable waste management in the race boat industry.
Field : Ecotoxicology & Environmental Science
Main topics: Emerging Chemical Pollutants, Soil pollution, 3Rs, Biomarkers, GIS
Other topics of interest : Wastewater, Sustainable Waste Management, Invasive Species, Amphibian Conservation.
Rachel Jacot-Descombes (Master)
Rachel is studying the ecotoxicological impact of heavy metals carried by suspended particles during rainy periods in the Chamberonne watershed. These particles, collected using sediment traps, are exposed to ostracods to assess their chronic and acute toxicity. The acute toxicity protocol is currently being developed experimentally within this project in order to establish a reproducible method that can be routinely applied. This work aims to better understand the effect of meteorological events on aquatic organisms in urbanised and agricultural environments.
David Lopez Rodriguez (Invited post-doc)
Margaux Python (Master)
Cyanobacteria have become a growing problem in recent years as harmful blooms spread across more lakes and rivers. Because cyanobacteria are important, wiping them out is not the right approach. Margaux’s goal is to propose a natural biological control to help regulate harmful cyanobacterial blooms in our waters. Her thesis tests whether nematodes, microscopic ubiquitous worms, can graze on cyanobacteria, tolerate their toxins, and still live and reproduce with cyanobacteria as their main food source. She is running feeding trials that pair different cyanobacteria morphology (unicellular, colonial, and filamentous; with and without heterocysts) both toxic and non-toxic strains with nematode species chosen for their mouth types (epistrate, deposit, and chewer). If the results are promising, the next step is to repeat the experiment with organisms collected in situ.
Célestin Pythoud (Master)
Célestin aims in improving the governance of decentralized wastewater management in Switzerland, particularly in the Val de Bagnes (Canton of Valais). In collaboration with ALTIS, his study will develop a map to inventory and prioritize wastewater systems, assess compliance and improve communication with stakeholders. It will include data collection, stakeholder interviews and potentially a wastewater mass balance analysis to compare the impacts of decentralized and centralized treatment. The project aims in providing authorities with practical tools to aid monitoring and improve policy implementation.
Assiata Traore Dosso (PhD)
Assiata is assessing the fate and behaviour, as weel as the environmental and health impact of chemicals used for gold extraction. She focuses her study on the mines situated in the region of Hiré (Southern Ivory Cost). See « mine d’or ou mine de malheur«
Marco Zaninetti (master)
Marco is working on a Master’s project focused on protecting the groundwater catchments in Grandvillard, a strategic site for EauSud SA’s water supply. His work involves evaluating environmental risks and land-use conflicts by creating a GIS-based mapping of sensitive areas and prioritizing actions to address these risks. He will also take part in the participatory approach by collaborating with stakeholders, including agricultural and industrial operators as well as local authorities, to support the development of collaborative and sustainable solutions for groundwater protection.