Marjorie WHITFIELD
Chercheur CRCN Inserm
04 76 74 83 76
I am an Inserm Research Scientist working at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB, Grenoble). My research focuses on sperm biology and the molecular mechanisms underlying male infertility.
I obtained my Ph.D. in 2017 from Clermont Auvergne University (GReD laboratory), under the supervision of Dr. Fabrice Saez and Prof. Joël Drevet. My doctoral research focused on sperm physiology and pathophysiology, particularly the impact of dyslipidemia on sperm maturation during epididymal transit and capacitation. I subsequently joined Dr. Aminata Touré's team at the Cochin Institute in Paris, where I investigated the genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying human asthenozoospermia, contributing to the identification and characterization of genetic defects affecting ciliary and flagellar structures.
After joining the IAB in 2021, I was appointed as an Inserm Research Scientist in 2022 and developed my own research program on the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing sperm flagellum assembly and organization. My research particularly focuses on the annulus, a poorly understood structure located at the junction of the sperm midpiece and principal pieces. I’m investigating its function in flagellar compartmentalization and its functional interactions with mitochondria, combining experimental mouse models, in vitro analyses, optical and high resolution microscopy with studies of infertile patients.
Beyond my research, I serve on the Board of Directors of the French Society of Andrology (SALF), contributing to scientific exchanges between researchers and clinicians in male reproductive health. I am also actively involved in science communication and public outreach. In 2021, I received the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award in recognition of my research on male reproductive biology and infertility.