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My scientific background is in the Chemical Ecology of marine phytoplankton, focusing especially on diatoms. I was involved in the discovery of the insidious effect of diatom secondary metabolites on copepod grazers. Our studies showed that polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) are responsible for the detrimental effects of diatoms on copepod reproduction, inducing egg viability reduction and teratogenesis. These studies boosted the development of chemical ecology of diatoms at a global level and numerous studies were published by our group in prestigious journals. Principal research interests include: - Clarify chemically mediated interactions in the plankton; - Study molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of diatom-derived metabolites using in vitro and in vivo model systems; - Disclose metabolic pathway producing bioactive secondary metabolites in microalgae; - Identify factors affecting the production of bioactive secondary metabolites; - Discover potential biotechnological applications of microalgal secondary metabolites.