Who am I?

From a very young age, I have been fascinated by the marine world and the incredible animals that inhabit it. This curiosity led me to study marine biology, culminating in a doctoral thesis on the behavior of seals and penguins.

Throughout my career, I discovered another area that I am passionate about: science communication. Sharing my discoveries, recounting my field experiences, and revealing the behind-the-scenes aspects of research quickly made me want to go further in transmitting knowledge.

Today, I use my experience as a marine biologist to popularize science. Through lectures, educational workshops, podcasts, and illustrations, my goal is to make science accessible and inspire everyone to better understand the world around us.

Diplomas and certifications

2025

Certification - Public Engagement for Scientists

Illinois Tech (remote)

Knowing how to adapt a scientific message to different audiences
Prepare effective visuals to convey the right message
Structure documents with the correct format, style and graphic elements
Better understanding the relationship between scientists and diverse audiences

Certification - Designing Effective Science Communication

University of Colorado Boulder (remote)

Pedagogy and learning theories
Modalities of scientific communication
Design of scientific communication activities

Certification - Successful Presentation

University of Colorado Boulder (remote)

Public speaking training techniques
Structure of a successful presentation
Use of verbal and non-verbal language to capture attention

Certification - New Learning: Principles and Patterns of Pedagogy

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Analyze the impact of social and technological transformations on education
Compare and apply three pedagogical approaches: traditional, contextualized, and participatory
Design teaching strategies adapted to learners' needs

Certification - Fundamentals of Graphic Design

California Institute of Arts (distance)

Image creation
Typography
Rules of composition

2021-2024

Doctorate - Environmental Biology, Population Biology, Ecology

La Rochelle University (France)

PhD subject: Hunting in the deep - unravelling the mysteries of Southern Ocean predator-prey interactions using innovative biologging technologies

Field data collection, data analysis
Publication of scientific articles
Presentations at national and international scientific conferences
Participation in popular science events (Science Festival, Conservation Weekend, etc.)

2018-2020

MSc in Biology of Marine Organisms

European University Institute of the Sea (France)

Specialization in marine biology and ecology

2015-2018

BSc in Biology of Organisms and Populations

University of Western Brittany (France)

Fundamental concepts in biology & ecology

Scientific publications

Molinet, M., Uhart A.P., Fonvieille, N., Chevassu, J., Castrec, C., Tournier, M., Goulet-Tran, D., Chevallay, M., Sari El Dine, Z., Picard, B., Nerini, D., El Hourany, R., Guinet, C. (2025) Investigating the relationships between thermohaline conditions, phytoplankton communities composition, foraging performance of female southern elephant seals, and the structure and abundance of mid trophic levels, revealed by animal borne echo-sounders. Journal of Marine Systems 249, 104064

Gilbert, L., Spitz, J., Chevallay, M., Jeanniard du Dot, T. (2025) Predator-mediated nutrient transfers and recycling in ecosystems: fine-scale variation in the contribution of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) on and around the Kerguelen Islands. Science of the Total Environment 975, 179195

Chevallay, M., Guinet, C., Goulet-Tran, D., & Jeanniard du Dot, T. (2024). Sealing the deal – Antarctic fur seals’ active hunting tactics to capture small evasive prey revealed by miniature sonar tags. Journal of Experimental Biology, jeb-246937

Chevallay, M., Guinet, C., Goulet, P., Jeanniard du Dot, T. (2024). Hunting tactics of Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and anti-predatory behaviours of their prey. Marine Ecology Progress Series 736, 167-179

Chevallay, M., Guinet, C., Goulet-Tran, D., Jeanniard du Dot, T. (2024). Underwater vocalisations in foraging female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) in the Kerguelen Islands. Marine Mammal Science, e13118

Chevallay, M., Jeanniard du Dot, T., Goulet, P., Fonvieille, N., Craig, C., Picard, B., Guinet, C. (2024). Spies of the deep: an innovative multi-sensor approach to describe the distribution of mesopelagic prey in the Southern Ocean via marine predators. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 203, 104214

Antoine, A., Labrousse, S., Goulet, P., Chevallay, M., Laborie, J., Picard, B., Guinet, C., Nerini, D., Charrassin, J.-B., & Heerah, K. (2023). Beneath the Antarctic sea-ice: Fine-scale analysis of Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) behaviour and predator–prey interactions, using micro-sonar data in Terre Adélie. Ecology and Evolution 13, e10796

Chevallay, M., Goulet, P., Madsen, P.T., Campagna, J., Campagna, C., Guinet, C., Johnson, M. (2023). Large sensory volumes enable Southern elephant seals to exploit sparse deep-sea prey. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(43), e2307129120

Chevallay, M., Guinet, C., Jeanniard du Dot, T. (2022). Should I stay or should I go? Behavioural adjustments of fur seals related to foraging success. Behavioural Ecology 33(3), 634-643