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- 53 years old
- married, 4 children
- Engineer and Research Director
- Background: École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique [university specialising in agronomics] of Toulouse, Université des Sciences et Techniques of Montpellier
- Leisure activities include: making his own Vouvray wine
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Philippe Chemineau
the unusual story of an Engineer turned Research Director
(11/08/2005)
Philippe Chemineau is a researcher in the field of reproduction neuroendocrinology. He is part of the Neuroendocrinology and Control of Seasonal Functions team for the Joint Research Unit for Reproductive and Behavioural Physiology in the town of Nouzilly, near Tours. Although he began as an Engineer, he never stopped taking on new responsibilities, even changing rank when he passed the competition for Research Director in 1998. Today, Mr Chemineau is Head of the Department of Animal Physiology and Livestock Systems (PHASE), based at INRA, Nouzilly.
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Even in secondary school, where he took advanced science courses, and throughout “agronomics” preparatory school, Philippe Chemineau was already attracted to nature’s inner workings. “When I was in secondary school and prep school, discovering nature was my driving force. The natural sciences helped me understand the extraordinary mechanisms that make living organisms work. I was fascinated then and I still am today.” After completing an end-of-studies paper in animal genetics, Mr Chemineau joined INRA. “It was the perfect opportunity to satisfy my curiosity for finding out how living organisms function. It was also my way of contributing to society, either by gaining better insight into life or by using life - humanely - for the benefit of mankind. This beneficial use of life has been the basis for agriculture for centuries.”
Much to discover in Guadeloupe and Martinique
Philippe Chemineau joined INRA as head research engineer in 1977 - only to leave again two years later. He went to Guadeloupe and Martinique for 4 years with the purpose of drawing up an inventory of the reproduction traits of local goats and sheep and to devise simple, affordable and sustainable strategies for controlling their fertility. “It was an amazing time – these traits were little known, publications on the subject were rare and there was so much yet to discover.” The solution proposed by Mr Chemineau was the “male effect”, that is, reintroducing the male to the female after a period of separation, which triggers ovulation within 48 hours.
Innovative ideas for better control of animal reproduction
Philippe Chemineau eventually returned to continental France and joined a team that researched non-invasive techniques for manipulating the breeding season. “The breeding season of males and females at our latitude depends on the light. I therefore helped developed photoperiodic strategies, providing more light in the sheep barns at dawn and in the middle of the night, to control reproduction in goats and sheep. These systems are now widespread on farms and in semen production centres.”
Several years later, Jean Pelletier, head of the Sexual Neuroendocrinology team from the Livestock Breeding Physiology Unit, asked Mr Chemineau to take over the team. “I was surprised and nervous. I was surprised because as an engineer, people might think I was less able to manage a team than a researcher or research director. However, that was not the legacy left by Charles Thibault, the founder of the Animal Physiology Department, who thought that skills mattered more than title.” Mr Chemineau found this part of his career especially interesting: “You have to discuss protocols and projects with other people, you always have to be willing to listen to what they have to say…I think that being a team leader is an amazing job. You help create the thought processes that lead to scientific action.”
From Engineer to Research Director…
One day, the Department Head asked Philippe Chemineau, who was still an engineer at the time, to take charge of the research unit. However, first he had to deal with issues related to his position and status at INRA, because while Mr Chemineau was perfectly capable of heading the unit, he would not be allowed to be on the jury for competitive exams or to recruit scientific personnel. To overcome this obstacle, he took the competitive exam for the position of Research Director, was successful and fell into line “with a more conventional framework for a research career”.
…and from Research Director to Department Head
Throughout his unusual career path, says Philippe Chemineau, “I’ve always strived to do the best job possible with the work given to me at the time.” Mr Chemineau consistently applies this philosophy, which has earned him the recognition of his peers as well as new responsibilities along the way. He was thus offered the position of Department Head. “The work consists in continually creating a consensus. Not only do I have to understand the aims of the general directorate’s research policy, participate in its development and communicate it to the labs and units, I also have to be able to understand the projects of the labs and units. I play the role of an interface in order to build and develop a strategic department plan,” he explains. Here again, Mr Chemineau begins a new adventure with enthusiasm and modesty: “I try to keep in mind that you never know everything and I have a true desire to learn. I am always worried about things not going smoothly, but I now see that it is possible to move forward continuously.”
Research is an adventure of intellectual freedom
Philippe Chemineau’s responsibilities as Department Head involve making rounds to the various units of the department, meeting unit heads and team leaders. “I really enjoy it. They are enthusiastic about their projects and results and are eager to share them with you.” To be a researcher at INRA, Mr Chemineau believes “you have to want to work, be curious and persevere, because nature does not let itself be discovered all that easily.” According to him, “research is the kind of job with the most intellectual freedom. Of course, researchers work within a certain framework, but it’s still fantastic to be paid to satisfy one’s own curiosity.”
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Written by :
Communications Department
Date of creation : 27/03/2006
Date of last update : 27/03/2006
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