Léa Cabrol has been appointed correspondent representing the IRD in Chile. She also represents the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN).
A researcher in microbial ecology at the MIO, she specialises in the functional role of microbial diversity in major biogeochemical cycles (methane, mercury). Her current studies focus in particular on methane-producing and methane-consuming microbial communities, which play a key role in atmospheric emissions of this powerful greenhouse gas, whether in high latitudes subject to global warming (permafrost in Siberia and Alaska, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic lakes), in tropical zones (hydroelectric reservoirs) or in marine sediments contaminated by intensive aquaculture, via numerous academic collaborations, particularly in Latin America. Her projects also have an applied scope, with the study of methane production bioprocesses as a solution for the treatment and energy recovery of effluents, in partnership with industry. Since September 2019, she has been posted to the Universidad de Chile, Santiago, within the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, where she is notably involved in the "Genomic Antarctic Biodiversity" project.