[Portrait] Stéphane Nottin, Professor of Exercise Physiology (STAPS, LaPEC)
What is your research about?
My research focuses on cardiac adaptations to physical exercise. The aim is firstly to understand how the heart, which is put under great strain during exercise, gradually adapts after many years of training.
The aim is also to gain a better understanding of the limits that can be reached in certain extreme situations, in particular when carrying out very long ultra-trail-type exercises, or when certain athletes take doping products such as anabolic steroids, which are sometimes used in strength sports.
What are your current scientific activities?
I'm mainly involved in publishing scientific articles. We recently published the results of our work on the impact of taking anabolic steroids on the myocardium of bodybuildersor on the impact of very long duration exercise on the cardiac function of young triathletes.
The assessments were carried out using innovative echocardiographic techniques, enabling us to target the best journals in exercise physiology.
Why did you choose to work in academic research?
For two reasons, the first being the driving force behind my activities: breaking new ground and having the freedom to develop innovative methods for analysing cardiac function (developments that draw on skills in physiology, fluid mechanics and computer programming).
The second reason is the the pleasure of sharing and passing on this passion by supervising doctoral students.
What advice would you give to students who want to do research?
Being passionate : You shouldn't do this job simply for the job security it offers, but because you enjoy it. It seems to me that this is the essential condition for maintaining the desire and motivation to set up research projects throughout one's career.
My second piece of advice would be to enjoy administrative tasks, which unfortunately are becoming more and more numerous every day...
What object or image from your business best illustrates you?
Making cardiac ultrasound in athletes during exercise. This requires a great deal of experience and concentration to obtain good quality images that can be used in research.
The Laboratory of Experimental Cardiovascular Physiology (LaPEC)
The LaPEC's research projects focus on cardiovascular health and its improvement through exercise and/or nutrition in the context of cardio-metabolic pathologies. The work is based on a continuum ranging from the identification of vascular and cardiac remodelling and dysfunctions at an early, sub-clinical stage, to the study of their aggravation in stressful situations.
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Mis à jour le 30 October 2023