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Stéphane Chaillou
Research Director, Team Leader
RESEARCH & ACADEMIC CAREER
Stephane’s research work is focusing on genomics of food-borne bacteria and on the role of microbial diversity in food microbial ecology. One of his strategy is to implement statistical and bioinformatic analysis of large sampling survey for describing diversity of food microbiomes. He is using the prediction of microbiomes fluxes along the food chain to assess food health and sustainability issues link to microbiomes such as food spoilage, biopreservation or fermentation. Recently, he has been implementing meta-omics data analysis to characterize microbial metabolic interactions in foods using synthetic ecology strategies. Stephane studied fundamental & applied microbiology in Marseilles (France) and earned his PhD (1999) in molecular microbiology at the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands). In 2016, Stephane obtained his HDR (French accreditation to steer & supervise research) in biological sciences at University Paris-Saclay.
TEACHING & ACADEMIC COORDINATION ACTIVITIES
At the Paris-Saclay University, in the framework of the BioSphera graduate school, Stephane’s is also coordinating activities to interface research & education programs and co-supervise a master degree in the field of microbiome sciences. In this context, Stéphane teaches metagenomics and molecular ecology to students having genomic and microbiology backgrounds.
CURRENT MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECTS (COORDINATION)
- 2023-2028: Horizon Europe DOMINO project (RIA). Harnessing the microbial potential of fermented foods for healthy and sustainable food systems.
- 2022-2025: ANR (French National Agency) METASIMFOOD project. Improving the quality, safety and sustainability of fermented vegetable food and fruit beverage using a knowledge-driven synthetic ecology and modelling approach.
- 2021-2025: EMOVOL. Molecular microbial ecology of poultry meat production.
Last related news
Fermented foods at the Fête de la science Paris-Saclay 2026
Oct 07, 2026
On October 3–4, 2026, Stéphane Chaillou and Alice Lima took part in the Village des sciences at ENS Paris-Saclay for the Fête de la science, France’s annual science festival. This year’s theme, “Saveurs savantes”, invited visitors to explore the science behind food and flavour.
From “synthetic” to defined microbial communities for clearer terminology
Jun 15, 2026
Stéphane Chaillou participated in a joint reflection with a group of international researchers, coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), on the terminology used to describe certain microbial communities. The collective of experts proposes replacing the term “synthetic community” (or SynCom), sometimes perceived negatively, with “Defined Microbial Community”.
DOMINO 3rd annual meeting in Madrid
Apr 20, 2026
After three years, the #DominoEU project has reached full speed, with significant results across all project objectives. The three-day meeting provided an opportunity to review the very busy year of 2025 and the many key findings that can be leveraged in the coming months.