The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
Please welcome Dr. Bastien Petit to Whitney Laboratory! He recently joined Dr. Sandra Loesgen's Lab as a Postdoctoral Research Associate.
Bastien earned his B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France, where he developed an interest in understanding the biochemical and chemical foundations of life. He then obtained his M.Sc. in Plant and Microbial Science from the same University, during which he became increasingly interested in Natural Products produced by Plants and Fungi. During this time, he carried out an internship in Germany, exploring an extensive collection of living fungal strains to find new antimicrobials.
Bastien subsequently returned to Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, to carry out his Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy, a science concerned with medicinal drugs obtained from natural origin. His Ph.D. focused on characterizing a specific class of compounds, called saponins, from four unstudied tree species growing in the forests of Equatorial Africa. Over the course of his Ph.D., Bastien performed internships in Italy and Germany, where he was trained in the development of various bioassays.
He then continued in studying the chemistry of tropical plants while performing a postdoc at ICSN-CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, where he was in charge of discovering novel antivirals against dengue, Zika, and coronaviruses.
What motivates most Bastien at work is the exploration of the Chemistry of Nature, interdisciplinarity across Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine, intercultural exchanges, and, as many scientists, hands-on experimentation.
When not in the lab, Bastien enjoys hiking, cycling, climbing, literature, cinema, video games, hanging out with friends, and discovering new things.