photographist

«I've had a passion for animals since I was a teenager! I wanted to spend time with them, to understand their behavior. I wasn't attracted by the medical or care aspect, so when I discovered ethology, I knew I'd found my path - even if my teachers advised me against it "for lack of job opportunities". I went to university in my region after an "agronomy-ecology" baccalaureate. As there wasn't much ethology, the subject I was most interested in, I went to continue my studies in Rennes. I was awarded a disability doctorate scholarship and did my thesis on the behavioral development of quail. Its aim was to observe the influence of the young on the mother's behavior and how this then impacts the young's development. In 2017, I applied for a research position at INRAE, where I was hired after a year as a trainee civil servant.

Today, I work on ruminants, and I'm still interested in the development of young individuals and maternal behavior. How do rearing practices influence this development and enable them, or not, to be more or less adapted to their rearing conditions? I'm currently working a lot on the presence/absence of a mother. It's also a very important social issue, especially for dairy cows. How can farms be organized to balance production requirements and animal welfare? I also study lambs - with or without a mother and with or without enrichment on the farm. Since 2015, I've had an implant that has changed my life - both personally and professionally - but I often have to ask people to pay more attention, to repeat or speak more distinctly - and also to turn on their cameras during video conferences so I can understand them properly!»

Nadège Aigueperse,
Research Manager, INRAE, Saint Genès Champanelle

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