My project, XENOZYME, aims to decode the role of dietary xenobiotic-active CAZymes in the human gut symbiont Ruminococcus gnavus, from the enzymatic mechanisms involved to the resulting microbiome interactions and implications for host health. We hope this project will shed light on the factors driving interindividual differences in microbial responses to diet, while discovering novel enzymes in the human gut microbiota and providing insights into the prevalence of R. gnavus in relation to health and disease.

Before joining the Quadram Institute, I completed my PhD in 2025 at the Fungal Biodiversity and Biotechnology Lab (Aix-Marseille University, France), in collaboration with Adisseo, where I studied the role of fungal pectin-degrading enzymes in animal feed. My PhD work focused on i) identifying and selecting target enzymes from fungal secretomes through the integration of functional and proteomic approaches; ii) studying the enzymatic interplay involved in soybean pectin deconstruction by combining individual enzyme characterisation with multi-activity enzymatic assays; and iii) assessing the impact of enzymatic pretreatment of soybean meal on chicken gut health using 16S metabarcoding, SCFA quantification, and intestinal epithelial cell assays. During my PhD, I developed an expertise in the recombinant production, structural and biochemical characterisation of CAZymes, as well as an interest in their roles within complex microbial environments such as the gut microbiota.

Prior to my PhD, I worked for two years in the biotechnology industry as a Research Engineer at Lesaffre International (Lille, France), where I studied enzyme applications in baking, biofuels, animal feed, human nutrition and health.