LOUIE DESTOUCHES
My name is Louie Destouches (he/him). I am currently undertaking my PhD at UCL, working on the design of genetically engineered microbial communities. I grew up in the north of France and I moved to the UK for my bachelors in Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter. I then moved to Paris and worked in a company as a technician using electron microscopy to detect pollutants in urban samples. I was also member of an organisation managing a community garden in the 13th arrondissement. I was funded by the council to build an aquaponics system in the garden with goldfish, a large plant bed, and a solar panel and wind turbine to power the pump. I have been pursuing aquaponics for a few years now, organising workshops and continuously constructing new systems. I completed a 2-year master’s degree at the Université Paris Cité, during which I undertook research placements in 4 different labs in the Paris area. I worked with bacteria on fundamental research questions, for example how antibiotic resistance works, to more applied fields such as synthetic biology, where I use genetic engineering to make cells produce interesting things. I find the intersection of microbiology and engineering fascinating and exciting, which is why I’m now doing a PhD designing whole ecosystems of microbes to perform interesting functions. I care a lot about removing the barriers to knowledge and autonomy, so today I collaborate with artists and sociologists to develop DIY and open science projects.
www.ajfedorec.github.io/index.html