Cell-cell fusion is a fundamental event for diverse processes such as fertilization or skeletal muscle development.

As a graduate student, I studied potential applications of Physics to Soft Matter. My PhD work was done at the Laboratory of Statistical Physics (LPS) of the École Normale Supérieure (ENS Paris), in Frédéric Pincet’s group, under the supervision of Dr. Christine Gourier. As a PhD fellow, I chose to apply biophysical approaches to uncover the gamete encounter dynamics. I especially wanted to address the question of how the plasma membrane of the oocyte is reorganized to induce the fusion of the sperm. I have acquired expertise in the cell membrane field from both physical and biological points of view.

For my postdoctoral studies, I decided to switch system and pursue my deep interest in mechanobiology. Therefore, I joined Dr. Elizabeth H. Chen’s group, who discovered dynamic mechanical interactions in Drosophila myoblast fusion, to initiate studies of mammalian myoblast fusion in her lab. My immediate research goal is to examine the role of the F-actin cytoskeleton in mouse myoblast fusion in the context of the Hippo signaling pathway.