Thierry Fanjas-Mercere

Agroecologist & Naturalist specialized in botany and entomology

◆ Address: 756 42 Uppsala, Sweden ◆ Phone number: +33 (0)6 76 41 41 52 / +46 (0)7 37 14 25 21 ◆ Email: thierry.fanjasmercere@gmail.com

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Armed with eight years of experience, I have developed expertise in botany and entomology, with a keen focus on biological invasions, plant communities, and ecosystem functioning. My background includes conducting comprehensive flora surveys, measuring plant traits, and studying arthropods across natural and anthropogenic environments, both domestically and internationally. I thrive working outdoors, as well as in laboratory and greenhouse settings, where I conduct analyses and focused experiments under controlled conditions as needed. My primary goal is to apply my biodiversity conservation skills to research that demonstrates its significance, such as ecosystem services, and examines the impact of global warming on species distribution and ecosystem functioning. I am also deeply interested in understanding how living organisms interact and how these biotic interactions fuel the incredible diversity we see in nature, with a particular focus on coevolution in plant–insect interactions such as pollination.

DEMONSTRATIVE SKILLS

Highly adaptable, sociable, autonomous, and rigorous.
Strong sense of responsibility and excellent communication skills.
Skilled in designing and applying scientific protocols.
Extensive fieldwork experience in large-scale and harsh environmental conditions.
Experienced in leading teams and overseeing projects effectively.
Competent in handling data entry, performing basic analysis, and writing summary reports.
In-depth knowledge of weed, wetland, and grassland flora of Western Europe.
Excellent knowledge of general botany. Proven use of flora and associated vocabulary.
Solid knowledge of entomology, particularly Lepidoptera (butterflies and day-flying moths), Orthoptera, Odonata and Diptera Syrphidae.
Extensive practice in measuring plant traits (Specific Leaf Area, Foliar Nitrogen Rate, dry biomass, seed mass, plant height and lifespan, ...)

Plathantera bifolia - France

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

May - Nov. 2024 (7 months) | Agronomy field technician

Qualprest - Bonneval, France

Conducted crop disease diagnosis, plant trait measurements, and weed identification across 1500+ plots - Assisted in harvesting rapeseed, cereals, and sunflower from approximately 2100 plots - Supported and supervised the application of experimental treatments on 450+ plots.

June - Aug. 2023 (3 months) | Project Manager

INRAE - UMR SAVE (Vineyard Health & Agroecology Research Unit) - Bordeaux, France

Sweep-netted arthropods in Germany (3 sites, 150 plots, 4 samples per plot, over 2 sampling sessions) as part of a comprehensive survey of the surrounding biodiversity in the Biodiversity Exploratories network (https://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de/en/) - Supported botanical surveys on 40 plots - Provided support for a soil sampling campaign aimed at studying microfauna communities.

Dec. 2021 - Dec. 2022 / Feb. 2023 (14 months) | Project Manager

INRAE - URZF (Forest Zoology Research Unit) - Orléans, France

Managed pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) caterpillar monitoring across six sites in France, which included collecting nests, identifying larval stages, determining tree infestation rates, and assessing moth flight periods - Planned fieldwork operations, which entailed effective communication with municipalities and companies.

July - Dec. 2021 / June - Nov. 2022 (12 months) | Phytosanitary inspector

FREDON Centre (private company focusing on plant protection) - Orléans, France

Performed approximately 100 inspections of plant producers and retailers in the process of issuing plant passports - Achieved 300+ inspections to detect regulated and emerging organisms (arthropods, bacteria, phytoplasma and viruses) in horticulture, agriculture, urban areas, and wood industries - Wrote corresponding inspection reports.

June - Oct. 2018 (5 months) | Field Naturalist - Botanist and entomologist

Alter Eco (environmental consulting company) - Rouziers, France

Characterized and mapped wetlands using botanical and pedological criteria - Executed flora and phytosociological surveys - Surveyed populations of Lepidoptera, Odonata, and Orthoptera - Provided support for chiropterological monitoring.

Mar. 2013 - Aug. 2014 / Mar. 2016 - Sept. 2017 (37 months) | Research Technician (2013), Project Manager (2014, 2016) then Research Support Officer (2017) in agroecology

CEBC (Centre for Biological Studies of Chizé) - Villiers-en-Bois, France

Supervised data acquisition campaigns in 2014, 2016, and 2017 - Managed protocols and led a team of 6 to 8 members - Conducted flora surveys (identifying species from seedlings to full-grown plants) and implemented comprehensive entomological trapping protocols across 170 to 270 crop fields and grasslands annually - Carried out experiments targeting regulating services, specifically the predation of aphids and seeds, as well as pollination - Identified weed seeds gathered from 30 plots.

Mar. - May 2011 / July - Aug. 2011 / Mar. - Sept. 2012 (11 months) | Training periods

INRAE - UMR Agroécologie (Agroecology Research Unit) - Dijon, France

Assessed the invasive potential of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) via field, greenhouse, and laboratory experiments - Established and implemented scientific protocols - Set up 90 artificial plant communities - Measured plant traits - Analyzed data and wrote scientific reports.

Surveying arthropods using a sweep net in Germany - 2023

Implementing artificial plant communities based on functional diversity - 2012

Counting pine processionary caterpillars trapped in bags filled with compost - 2022

2018 (1 week)

Characterization and delineation of wetlands

Agence Française pour la Biodiversité - Centre de formation du Paraclet - Fouencamps, France

Acquired expertise in methodologies for wetland characterization and delineation through soil, flora, and habitat studies - Assessed the benefits and conservation challenges of wetlands - Implemented flora/habitat/pedology protocols in-situ.

2014 (1 week)

Systematics and ecology of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae)

CEBC (Centre for Biological Studies of Chizé) - Villiers-en-Bois, France | Workshop led by Véronique Sarthou - SYRPHYS Agro-Environnement

Developed skills to analyze key morphological traits to accurately identify Syrphidae species - Identified the principal genera and species found in France - Used detailed morphological analysis to distinguish species among challenging genera such as Cheilosia and Eumerus.

2012

Master's Degree in Organisms and Populations Biology (with a specialization in Plant and Microbial Biodiversity)

University of Burgundy (Dijon, France)

Relevant courses: Evolutionary ecology, population genetics and biology, plant and microbial biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, agroecology, landscape ecology, species interactions, biogeography, quantitative ecology, biostatistics.

2010

Bachelor's Degree in Sciences, Technologies and Health - Organisms and Populations Biology

University of Limoges (Limoges, France)

Relevant courses: Reproductive and developmental biology, population genetics and dynamics, arthropods and nonvascular plants systematics, evolutionary ecology, molecular biology, plant ecophysiology, soil science and hydrology, phylogenetic analysis, ethology, paleobiology.

MOOCs

Nematodes Crops Taxonomy Arthropods - Montpellier SupAgro - 2018

Permaculture design - Université des colibris - 2018

Agroecology - Université des Colibris - 2018

Plant health: from observation to diagnosis - Agrocampus Ouest - 2018

Languages

• French: Mother tongue

• English: Upper intermediate (B2)

• Spanish: Pre-intermediate (A2)

• Currently learning Swedish

• Notions of Portuguese, German, Indonesian and Vietnamese

Digital skills

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)

Photo editing (DxO Photolab, Adobe Lightroom)

GIS (Quantum GIS)

Social Media (Instagram)

EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUALIFICATIONS

VOLUNTEERING

Dec. 2020 - Apr. 2023 (28 months, from 1 to 3 day(s) per week) | Versatile sales and communication assistant

Soutien Orléanais (charity shop) - Ingré, France

Achieved a diverse range of tasks including sorting and shelving donations, assembling/dismantling furniture, advising customers, contacting businesses for donations, and managing Instagram content - Created the charity's logo and website.

Aug. 2019 (1 month) | Multi-skilled volunteer

Trollhättan, Sweden

Engaged in diverse maintenance activities, including DIY projects and gardening, within a private home. Also participated in survival outings in the wild.

June 2019 (3 weeks) | Ornithologist

Dutch Montagu's Harrier Foundation - Groningen, Netherlands

Contributed to Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) conservation by protecting nests into crop fields and participating in monitoring initiatives with the Dutch Montagu's Harrier Foundation.

July 2015 (1 month) | Botanist and entomologist

Kuang-Si Butterfly Park - Luang Prabang, Laos

Compiled a database of host plants for 96 butterfly species based on literature - Executed in-situ identification of these host plants and facilitated breeding in nursery.

April - May 2015 (6 weeks) | Agroecologist

La Vie VU Linh Ecoproject - Vu Linh, Vietnam

Performed an assessment of an organic fruit plantation: mapped and identified fruit trees, determined diseases and pests, wrote a report about the plantation's condition.