Alexis Boisseau [ CDD Post-Doc ]

Alexis joined the unit in June 2025 for a two-year period. He works with Geneviève Teil on the GARDENS project, which is part of an ANR research program (Advanced Plant Breeding). Task 1 of the GARDENS project involves reflecting on the role of new genome editing techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, in the agroecological transition. Based on several series of interviews with farmers and agricultural stakeholders (seed companies, technical advisors, etc.), as well as with numerous researchers in genetics, agronomy, and ecology, Task 1 of GARDENS aims to question and analyze the multiple issues (ethical, socio-economic, ecological, and agronomic) related to the dissemination of NGTs (New Genomic Techniques) in agroecology—understood here in the technical sense as the intersection of traditional agronomy and ecological science. Ultimately, Task 1 of the project aims to develop an original conceptual framework and a best practices guide that specify the conditions under which the use of NGTs can positively contribute to the ecological transformation of agricultural systems.

Alexis is trained as a philosopher and economist. Since 2024, he has held a PhD in philosophy of biology from the University of Toulouse II (thesis title: “Program, Network, System: The Ontological and Epistemic Background of Theories of Embryonic Development”). Graduating from ENSAE in 2011 as a statistician-economist, he has several years of experience in mathematical and computer modeling. Familiar with the agricultural world, he also obtained an agricultural BTS (option: field crops) in 2016.