Nikolic Natacha

As a Doctor in Sciences (Ecology, Biodiversity and Evolution) since 2009, my main line of research is the management and conservation of natural resources, and more particularly freshwater and marine species. I am a researcher at the AQUA department of INRAE (France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) and President of the Research Agency for the Biodiversity in Reunion Island (ARBRE). I specialize in population genetics, evolution, fisheries, and biodiversity with a broad interest in reconstructing demographic and adaptive histories of aquatic species. I combine different data from molecular biology, biometrics, physiology, and environment with different approaches using biomathematics, biostatistics and bioinformatics.

During my career, I acquired national/international collaborations and skills in wild and exploited species, big data (genetics, genomics, fisheries, and physico-chemical), different sampling (biometrics, biology, genetics such as environmental and ancient DNA), statistical and mathematical methodologies, and managing a team (psychology degree and training in conflict management). 

Since 2013, I represented several institutions in the Indian ocean (Ifremer and IRD) in governmental, regional and international instances. I participated in working groups within the international fish stock assessment commissions (IOTC and ICCAT) and as an independent expert within the European Commission in 2016. 

I have coordinated several projects – PaleoFish, DarT Salmo-Ell, EFIMA, PHOCA, GERMON, POPSIZE, etc. – on several species (pelagic and coral fish; elasmobranch; marine mammals; diadromous, ). I also managed the Genetics-Biology Laboratory at IFREMER in Reunion Island from 2016 to 2020

I am currently in charge of several projects: AÉROPO (funding by MIRA – UPPA) in INRAE, IRRAE (funding by DEAL) and MAEO (funding by FEDER) in ARBRE. For more details regarding these projects see the « Research » section.