Dr. Céline Blanc-Jolivet
Tree researcher, wood detective and liaison officer at the Großhansdorf location
What kind of wood is this made of? Dr Céline Blanc-Jolivet can answer that question. Like a detective, she determines the origin of wood using DNA testing in the laboratory. In addition to this practical work, she is involved in numerous projects at the Thünen Institute of Forest Genetics, such as ForGer, which aims to preserve the genetic resources of trees as an important factor in climate adaptation. Constant innovations in methods and feeding large databases require time and a good overview.
She has to keep it at home too – that's where she manages her family of five. For Céline Blanc-Jolivet, one thing has always been clear: "I want to be a scientist and be there for my children." In order to keep up with her projects, she decided to take her first child to the office with her. "It was new and unfamiliar for everyone. But it allowed me to show that it is possible to be a mother and conduct research!" She is keen to set such examples and pave new paths for her female colleagues. That is why she has also volunteered as a union representative at the Großhansdorf site. She has set herself the goals of more flexible parental leave regulations, better home office options and greater trust for female scientists with children. “Corona has improved home office options, but there is still a long way to go before a CV like mine is taken for granted.”
Céline Blanc-Jolivet comes from Fontainebleau near Paris and studied agricultural sciences in Montpellier. She completed her doctorate in ecology and evolution in Switzerland in 2006. She has been working at the Thünen Institute of Forest Genetics since 2007.
