Based in IFP-Lyon

How did you get to IFP?

When I qualified as an engineer, I spent three years working on a doctorate at IRC, Catalysis Research Institute, near Lyon. I was about to round off my dissertation when I joined IFP to develop gasoline production-processes with the Process Development and Engineering Division (now Process Design and Modeling Division) in October 1995. I knew and admired IFP’s original blend of fundamental and applied research – which I hadn’t seen in any laboratory or industrial firm anywhere else.

Tell us about your job.

A year ago, I was running an industrial research project developing biodiesel from vegetable oils. I was working with Axens, the partner firm that would be scaling up the process to the industrial production phase, mapping out the research plan and resources we needed. I was also in charge of monitoring the technical side of research underway. It also involved a lot of management work, running the team in charge of the various aspects of the project.

At this point, I am working on the roadmap to enhance the Reaction Engineering Department’s fundamental expertise in lignocellulose bioconversion. This technology is used to produce what we call second-generation fuels (using plant stalks or even whole plants) as opposed to first-generation fuels (which use the fruit).

Tell us about a normal day at work.

No two days are alike. That’s why I chose this job!

Anyway, seriously, I can make out a few recurring patterns.

- Now, for example, I am looking for literature and talking to researchers in other laboratories to work out how we are going to be working together on the project involving lignocellulose bioconversion to produce biofuels.
- Once I finish this fact-finding phase, I will be able to move on to rolling out and monitoring the action plan. That phase will involve experimenting on a pilot unit and modeling conversion phenomena which – all going well – will pave the way for a new industrial process.

What do you like about your job?

The fact that no two days are alike. Doing so many different things means I learn new things every day. My job keeps me in touch with fascinating current affairs (cutting CO2 emissions, for instance). Which, at the end of the day, is a big issue: it’s about protecting the planet.

What does it take to do your job?

You have to be self-reliant – and enjoy it. No two projects are alike, so you are answering new questions all the time. That’s why researchers have to be inquisitive, meticulous, and never give up. You also have to be able to come up with new suggestions and ideas all the time. That, after all, is what gets innovation processes off the ground. And, if it does, you will see all your hard work rewarded when the first industrial unit gets up and running.

Where do you want to go from here?

At this point, I am defining research projects. So my goal is to monitor those projects if they materialize, and to see the new expertise they spawn spread through IFP.

Further information on the Process Design and Modeling division