A different approach to chemistry: portrait of Marie-Laure Fauconnier
Marie-Laure Fauconnier, full professor at GxABT, ULiège, and head of the The Laboratory of chemistry of Natural Molecules (LCNM), graduated from GxABT in 1991 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and Agricultural Industries. She began her career at Perlarom (now Firmenich) as a research engineer specializing in flavor analysis. Fascinated by research, she returned to GxABT as an assistant, which allowed her to complete a doctoral thesis on the enzymatic production of natural flavors (1997).
After a term as an FNRS research associate, part of which was spent at IBMP in Strasbourg, she led Wagralim for a year before joining Patrick du Jardin's team as first assistant in plant biology, where she remained for 8 years, alternating between the positions of project leader and part-time lecturer. In 2013, she took over the management of the Natural Molecule Chemistry Laboratory as a lecturer, then as a full professor.
Marie-Laure Fauconnier teaches in all five years of the bio-engineering curriculum, from Bac1 to Ma2, where she enriches the fundamental notions of chemistry with the concepts of green chemistry, favoring a sustainable and environmentally-friendly approach. She also runs two university certificates, one in "Flavors and Innovation" and the other on "Essential Oils and Entrepreneurship".
Her atypical career path, spanning green chemistry, agri-food and plant biology, feeds her research themes. For many years, the Natural Molecule Chemistry Laboratory has been studying the extraction, purification, characterization and valorization of secondary plant metabolites for agronomic and agri-food applications. Understanding the mechanisms of action of these secondary metabolites is the subject of in-depth multidisciplinary studies. Two classes of compounds in particular are being studied: volatile organic compounds via volatolomics (aromas, perfumes, essential oils, etc.) and phyto-oxylipins. The LCMN leads or collaborates in numerous national and international research projects, both fundamental and applied, in Belgium and Africa. No fewer than twelve nationalities are represented among the PhD students it supervises.
Actively involved in university affairs, Marie-Laure Fauconnier has held various roles, including president of the doctoral college, vice-president of the scientific council for research and valorization in science and technology, and president of the Agro-Bio Tech department. In 2023, she received the triennial Leon Schepkens Prize in agronomy from the Royal Academy of Belgium for her work on plant secondary metabolites and their applications in agronomy.
Her motivation lies in approaching chemistry differently and passing on her passion to students and young researchers, both locally and globally, to address societal challenges.
