Dr François Thomas named as winner of Rachel Carson Prize
The independent researcher from Station Biologique de Roscoff is the winner of the Rachel Carson Prize, awarded by Applied Microbiology International.
The prize is part of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards, which celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology
The prestigious scientific award is designed for professionals, researchers, and innovators who have made significant contributions to the conservation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the preservation of biodiversity. It honours their efforts in addressing critical environmental challenges and safeguarding natural habitats, emphasising the real-world impacts in these essential areas.
Dr Thomas is an applied and environmental microbiologist with a strong background in molecular biology and biochemistry.
The overarching goal of his research is to decipher some of the strategies bacteria use to perform critical biogeochemical transformations, and to quantify their ecological impact. He uses interdisciplinary approaches to gain insights into which environmental bacteria can perform these processes, how they do it, and how it varies depending on the conditions.
Over the years, he has investigated multiple aspects of microbiology in marine and terrestrial environments, including mangrove estuaries, salt marshes, polluted soils, deep-sea hydrothermal vents and algal beds.
“My research is now centred on the diversity of alga-degrading bacteria in coastal ecosystems, the dissection of their metabolic pathways, the regulations involved, the consequences for carbon fluxes and their biotechnology potential, bridging detailed molecular understanding of degradation processes to broader microbial ecology questions,” he says.
Dr Thomas received his doctorate in Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris, France) in 2011, and held post-doctoral positions in environmental microbiology and 'omics' techniques at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) and Interdisciplinary Laboratory on Continental Ecosystems (Nancy, France). In 2015, François Thomas was appointed as a permanent PI at the CNRS Roscoff Marine Station (France).
Applied Microbiology International is the UK's oldest microbiology society serving microbiologists based in universities, private industry and research institutes worldwide.
The Rachel Carson Award for Excellence in Environmental Conservation celebrates the lasting impact of Rachel Carson's work in environmental conservation by rewarding outstanding achievements in applied microbiology in this field.