Research news - March / April 2025

The Metaboscope, located on the Jean-Henri Fabre campus of Avignon Université, brings together a range of shared analytical chemistry facilities designed to support the research and teaching activities of Avignon Université and INRAE, as well as projects at other universities and in the private sector, particularly in the fields of agronomy, agri-food, health and the chemistry of natural substances. Attached to the Avignon University Research and Innovation Support Department (DARI), it is managed by university scientific staff.

What does it offer?

The platform's cutting-edge tools (chromatography, mass spectrometry and NMR) enable targeted and non-targeted analyses to identify and quantify the metabolites present in any type of sample.

The platform provides a full range of à la carte services, including sample preparation, chromatographic separation, structural analysis, absolute or relative quantification and even computer processing of the data before the results are returned.

Master's courses in biology and chemistry are already linked to Metaboscope, and tailor-made training courses are also available for doctoral students and academic and private-sector staff.

>> Click here to find out more about the site
>> Contact: plateforme-metaboscope@univ-avignon.fr

• Wednesday 23 April 2025 at 8pm
• "Evolution through our bodies,
  by Guillaume LecointreProfessor at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
• Salle de l'antichambre, Avignon Town Hall, Place de l'Horloge
• Free admission

>> More info

• Friday 25 April 2025 at 8.30pm
• "Science popularisation: the YouTube revolution?
• Restaurant François, 6 rue Leclerc, Avignon
• Free admission

>> More info

Upcoming midisciences

On the Jean-Henri Fabre campus - Institut AgES, Bâtiment A, Amphi Agrosciencesfrom 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

• 24 April : "Can generative AI be ecologically responsible?" by Pierre Jourlin - Lecturer at the Avignon Computing Laboratory (UPR LIA) - Avignon University.
• 15 May : "Science discovering tradition and alcohol: the case of mezcal". by Joyce Alvarez - Post-doctoral researcher in metabolomics and ATER UMR SQPOV SporAlim - INRAE / Avignon University.

>> Download the programme

Pint of Science returns to Avignon on 19, 20 and 21 May for the 2025 edition, in three bars in Avignon: the Pipeline, the Gambrinus and the Grand Café Barretta !
Come and listen to scientists talk about their research in a relaxed setting. No knowledge of science required!

• 19 May: "Sugars and sweeteners: a taste for risk?" with Florian PALLOT (PhD student - LAPEC, Avignon University) and Grégory MEYER (Senior Lecturer - LAPEC, Avignon University)
• 20 May: "Top Model végétal" by Adèle SAHUT (Doctoral student - INRAE) and Dario COSTANTINESCU (Researcher - INRAE - PSH)
• 20 May: "The skills and know-how of elected representatives" with Noé DUPRAT-LASSUS (PhD student - ADEME, Avignon University) and Victor PLANCHE (PhD student - .JPEG, Avignon University)
• 21 May: "This is the voice" with Camille PROTAR (PhD student - ICTT, Avignon University) and Corinne FREDOUILLE (Professor - LIA, Avignon University)
• 21 May: "Agriculture and biodiversity, a delicate balance" with Isis POINAS (Post-doctoral student - PSH, INRAE) and Raphaël MINGUET (Doctoral student - PSH, INRAE)
• By reservation only

>> Click here to book your tickets and find out about the full programme at Avignon

22 and 23 April 2025: Innovation Forum - Creativity Meets Circularity - EIT Culture & Creativity

On 22 and 23 April, the EIT Culture & Creativity invites you to its Innovation Forum, an event where culture, creativity and sustainability come together to build a more resilient future.

Co-organised with : MIN4CI Mediterranean Foundation for Cultural and Creative Industries (Avignon University, Aix-Marseille University, Université Côte d'Azur, Région Sud - Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur), supported by the City of Nice.
Special guests: architect Winy Maas (MVRDV), MEP Christian Ehler and over 30 inspirational speakers.

On the programme:

• Is circularity really at the heart of innovation?
• How can we rethink the value chains and economic models of the cultural and creative industries?
• Can we go beyond the economic aspect and make a real impact on society?
• With the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Act and the New European Bauhaus, circularity is becoming an essential lever for sustainable transition. At EIT Culture & Creativity, we are integrating these practices into fashion, architecture, audiovisual, gaming and cultural heritage.

>> More info

• 22 April 2025 14:00 - 23 April 2025 17:15
• Théâtre National de Nice & Pôle Universitaire Trotabas 4-6 Pl. Saint-François, 06300 Nice, France

The European Olive4ALL project, which began in 2021 under the aegis of the JPI CH "Heritage, Identities and Perspectives: Adapting to Changing Societies" and is funded by the French, Greek and Portuguese research agencies (ANR, GSRT, FCT), ends in May 2025.
To bring to a close the work carried out over the last four years on the olive tree and its heritage, the French team is organising a conference from 23 to 26 April 2025 in Avignon.

Over the four days, the researchers involved in the project will present a summary of the work carried out in the three countries. It will also be an opportunity to open up new perspectives, to look to the future and to consider ways of continuing joint work, by inviting other researchers to work alongside the project teams. The colloquium will be divided into a series of presentations, meetings, round tables, visits and tastings.

• From 23 to 26 April
• Open to all

>> Download the programme
>> Read more

Wednesday 23rd April 2025
"There's nothing simple about vector control" by Marieta Braks

Wednesday 21 May 2025
" Investigating the reciprocal relationship between muscle health and whole-body health at the Muscle Health Research Centre "Christopher G. R. Perry, York university, MHRC's research on nutrition and health

• 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm
• By video : https://bbb.univ-avignon.fr/rooms/fay-vdw-wco

>> More info

Tersys Implanteus summer school 4 (TISS4): 2, 3 and 4 July 2025

The SFR Tersys Management Committee and the IMPLANTEUS Executive Committee are organising the fourth TERSYS-IMPLANTEUS Summer School "TISS 4", which will take place at the AgES Institute from 2 to 4 July 2025.

The theme of the event for this 4th edition is :

" Weaving multidisciplinarity to meet the challenges of agriculture, food, health and sustainability".

"Weaving multidisciplinarity to meet the challenges of agriculture, food, health and sustainability" 

The programme and registration link will be available very soon! Check the Implanteus and Tersys websites regularly.

April 2025 - Jean-Baptiste Mazzitelli

Jean-Baptiste Mazzitelli is a chemical research engineer in the GREEN team at UMR 408 SQPOV. He is interested in eco-extraction of natural substances. He spent his university career in Avignon, from a degree in biology to a doctorate in chemistry.

>> Find out more

Malaury BoissierA graduate in European and International Studies, she has acquired a wealth of experience abroad, notably in Quebec, Laos (UNFPA) and Congo-Brazzaville (Campus France). Today, as International Development Officer at Avignon University, she facilitates the mobility of researchers and strengthens international partnerships, while supporting the EUR Implanteus in its global outreach and collaborations.

>> Discover her portrait

Fehmina Malik is a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratoire Informatique d'Avignon (LIA). Her work focuses on artificial intelligence, game theory, explainable AI (XAI) and emotion detection. She advises students to follow their passion, not to shy away from a challenge, and to explore different disciplines to enrich their studies. She believes that curiosity and perseverance are the keys to success in artificial intelligence research.

>> Discover her portrait

Anna Melnykova is a teacher-researcher in applied mathematics at the Laboratoire de Mathématiques d'Avignon (LMA). She is dedicated to the study of mathematical models of neuronal activity, working in particular on the stochastic simulation of the Hodgkin-Huxley model. Passionate about research, she emphasises the importance of curiosity, autonomy and intellectual humility, essential qualities that she recommends to students in order to rise to the challenges and progress in their quest for understanding.

>> Discover her portrait

Anna Maria Principessa is a doctoral student in Romance languages and literature in the Cultural Identity, Texts and Theatricality Laboratory (ICTT). Her research focuses on the work of Carlo Emilio Gadda, a twentieth-century Italian author, and the study of his relationship with French literature. She advises students to cultivate their intellectual curiosity, read widely and develop a critical mind. She believes that comparing different works and perspectives is essential for a thorough understanding of literary texts.

>> Read more

Avignon University welcomed the members of PUI Provence on 25 March 2025

The Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation (PUI) Provence is a strategic interface for companies, offering a unified academic entry point. This common gateway enables industrialists and entrepreneurs to benefit from the skills and resources of all 13 PUI partners in a single process.
As a founding member, Avignon Université welcomed them on 25 March to the Jean-Henri Fabre campus at Agroparc.
This meeting provided an opportunity for a general presentation of the PUI to the establishment and was followed by the monthly valuation committee.

The PUI Provence's mission is to transform research into concrete innovations through four major objectives: federating a collaborative innovation ecosystem, structuring research-business relations, accelerating technology transfer and promoting scientific results. Funded as part of the France 2030 programme and operated by the ANR and Bpifrance, the PUI is supported by CISAM and the Amidex Foundation to stimulate innovation and economic development in the PACA region.

>> To find out more and discover all the PUI Provence partners

At the 2025 edition of the CNRIUT, National Congress of IUT ResearchThe Research, Technology Transfer and Innovation (RTI) Commission of the Assembly of IUT Directors (ADIUT) highlighted the article entitled "The future of the IUT" at the conference held on 26 and 27 March at the IUT of Bayonne and the Basque Country (University of Pau and the Pays de l'Adour). "Regulation and the circular economy: challenges for sustainable packaging in the automotive industry". This article was co-written by François FULCONIS, Mariam ABOULKHOUYOUL and Patrick PUJO.

The ADIUT RTI Committee selected this article for presentation at a plenary session and awarded Mariam ABOULKHOUYOUL the "Prix coup de cœur" for her brilliant performance.

In conjunction with the Packaging Department (BUT PEC) of the Avignon IUT, a member of the Avignon University's JPEG laboratory (AU) and associated with CRET-LOG (AMU), Mariam ABOULKHOUYOUL is preparing a thesis in Management Sciences under a CIFRE contract with the RENAULT Automobile Group on the issue of reducing industrial packaging in the context of the transition to a circular economy.

>> Read more

Trademark registration and renewal

The Direction de l'Appui à la Recherche et à l'Innovation (DARI) has recently registered several trademarks with the INPI: IG Balance, LIAvignon, GeEAUde, GIF Partnership Chair - Geodata Real Estateand Green and Sustainable Plant Chemistry Partnership Chair.

In addition, the brands Agorantic and Tersys have been renewed for 10 years, consolidating their visibility and legal protection.

These initiatives are part of a strategy to promote and recognise the structuring projects carried out by Avignon Université.

On 1 April 2025, the GeEAUde partnership chair organised its first discussion day on the theme of piezometry.
The presentations by the participants and the round tables gave rise to rich and constructive exchanges on the subject of equipment, as well as the processing, banking and exploitation of data.

This sharing of experience has led to the identification of common issues and the creation of a collective dynamic, leading to the setting up of working groups and the provision of practical training courses.

The event was attended by many members of the GeEAUde collective: Avignon University, SCP, SRV, Département de Vaucluse, Veolia, SUEZ, ASA Canal Saint-Julien, Région Sud, DRIM, Parc naturel régional des Alpilles, SYMCRAU.

Iranian researcher Habib MotieGhader joins ERIT PSII (UPRI) to study the vaccinal effect of UV-C flashes on plants

What if analysis of the communication network between messenger RNAs confirmed the vaccination role of UV-C flashes on plants? The ERIT PSII (UPRI) has been joined by an Iranian researcher, Habib MotieGhader, who has been invited to work on this topic from 1ᵉʳ February to 31 July 2025.

Although UV-C radiation is known to cause significant stress, flashes of UV-C light can also induce beneficial responses in plants. Exposure to UV-C flashes can enhance natural defence mechanisms against disease and tolerance to stress. These beneficial effects are the result of sophisticated response and adaptation mechanisms revealed by transcriptomics studies carried out by researchers at the ERIT PSII - Plant Science, Interactions and innovation (UPRI). It has emerged that one of the pathways by which plants regulate their response to UV-C is via the complex network of non-coding RNAs, in particular through the ceRNA communication network (competing endogenous RNA).

>> Read more

20 May: CUrathon - research data repositories at Avignon UniversitÉ

As part of the Data Spring event, Avignon Université and INRAE are organising a Curathon (to work on depositing research data) on 20 May on the Hannah Arendt campus.
This all-day event will run from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.

The aim of this day is to provide you with practical help for curating dataset repositories. Whether you are a depositor, curator or collection administrator, this day is for you! It will be an opportunity to learn best practice by working on real-life cases.

>> If you are interested, please complete the Evento

ED 537 Scientific Day
The theme of the day will be "Sources and fields - Reflections on research materials in the Humanities and Social Sciences".
It will take place in the Thesis Room.

• Download the programme here
• No registration is required to attend the day.

ED 536 Scientific Day
The theme of the day will be "Digital and artificial intelligence for agrosciences".
It will be held in the ADA amphitheatre (CERI). 

>> Download the day's programme here
Registration closed.