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STEM Chateaubriand Fellowship: 2020 Fellows Named
August 2, 2017, by Administrateur Chateaubriand

The Office of Science and Technology are pleased to announce the laureates of the 2020-2021 STEM Chateaubriand Fellowship. This year’s 40 laureates will spend 4 to 9 months in France performing research with their French partners. Last name First name US University French Host Institution (...)

Tom Zirkle
September 3, 2019

Tom Zirkle is a PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame, and he was a Chateaubriand fellow in 2017-2018 at the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (French Atomic Energy Commission) in Grenoble, France for 6 months.

In which field did you carry out your research for your PhD and what was your specific area of study?
I am working on my PhD in electrical engineering and am conducting research in cryogenic measurements of nanoscale electronic devices. More specifically, I work with single-electron transistors and single-electron boxes for charge and voltage sensing applications.

What is your current occupation?
I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame working as a research assistant. I will be completing my degree in May and entering the work force as an electrical engineer with Northrop Grumman.

Please give a brief description of the work you completed in France:
While in France I worked with the quantum silicon group at CEA Grenoble. This group is exploring quantum dots in silicon for possible application as a qubits, the fundamental building blocks of a quantum computer. My work was focused on improving the measurement technique used to characterize the quantum dots called radio-frequency reflectometry. Reflectometry measures the change in a high-frequency voltage wave that is reflected off of the quantum dot as the charge state of the dot changes. In this way a very fast measurement of the state of the dot can be achieved, a crucial criteria for quantum computing. Furthering the state-of-the-art of this technique will play a key role in the realization of a large-scale quantum computer.

How was your experience as a researcher in France?
I really enjoyed my time working at CEA Grenoble. I had a really supportive adviser and my group had a large number of PhD students and Postdocs that were really welcoming. I wish I could have stayed longer just so I could keep working with my French colleagues. In addition to the great connection with fellow researchers, I had access to all the equipment I needed to complete my experiments. In short, nothing was lacking in my French research experience.

Did or will your research in France lead to any co-publications?
If yes, please describe (name of journal, date of publication):
I presented my work at a poster session for the Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop 2018 in Honolulu, HI in June 2018. I also anticipate publishing these results as a part of my PhD dissertation and the implementation of my work in future research projects at the University of Notre Dame.

Did you or one of your supervisors present your work at a seminar? Do you plan on doing so?
If yes, please describe (name of seminar, date, type of presentation):
No, I do not believe this will be a part of a seminar.

In your opinion, did the Chateaubriand Program contribute to closer ties between your US and French labs (why or why not)?
The Chateaubriand Program is a great method to continue to build stronger ties between US and French labs. I can personally say that I made professional connections during my time in France that I will be able to use for the rest of my career. Furthermore, my exposure to France's language and culture adds to my resume and may make a path for me to return in a professional capacity in the future. Finally, my visit helped to strengthen the connection between my US and France labs and I am confident that our labs will continue to work together far into the future.

Did you improve your French while in France?
Absolutely! Nothing helps you learn a language like having to use it! I was sorry we left so soon since I was enjoying learning the language so much!

Do you plan on returning to France in the future?
If yes, please describe your plans:
I would love to return to France either for business of pleasure. My wife and I had so many positive and wonderful experiences while there we cannot wait to return!

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities or travel while in France?
The Chateaubriand Fellowship is so much more that just a research opportunity! France's public transportation and the walk-ability of so many of the great tourist locations allowed us to make many sightseeing trips. We were able to visit Paris, Avignon, Marseilles, the Alsace-Lorraine region, Strasbourg, Annecy, Cinque Terre in Italy, and so many more! We literally have thousands of amazing pictures from all our sightseeing adventures!
Nathan Jespersen
August 28, 2019

Nathan Jesperson is currently a PhD candidate at the Oregon State University, and he was a Chateaubriand fellow in 2018 at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Gif-Sur-Yvette for 6 months.

In which field did you carry out your research for your PhD and what was your specific area of study?
Biochemistry and Biophysics is my PhD program (ongoing), and my work in France would best be classified as Virology. More specifically, I study Host-Virus interactions at the protein level.

What is your current occupation?
Graduate Student (PhD candidate)

Please give a brief description of the work you completed in France:
My research centers on the interactions between the rabies virus and a specific host protein called LC8, which is important for everything from intracellular transport, to apoptosis (intentional cell death). The rabies virus is extremely lethal ( 100% once symptoms arise), but a previous study has found that disallowing binding between LC8 and rabies results in completely survival rabies infections (0% lethality). While my lab in the US is a structural biophysics lab, which has allowed me to study this HOW of this interaction, my work in France focused on understanding the WHY. In France we looked at a few specific pathways, like viral replication and immunosuppression, and showed that the dramatic difference is caused, in part, by an inability of the virus to copy its genetic material.

How was your experience as a researcher in France?
Really great! The lab group that I worked with was super friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about the rabies virus, so I learned a ton. With the exception of the difficulties with paperwork to actually get in, it was everything I could have hoped for!

Comments on your experience as a researcher in France and conditions in your host lab:
There are definitely some distinct differences in the work-life balance between typical US labs and the French labs I interacted with, and it was very interesting to experience both of those perspectives. I also very much enjoyed getting to dig into a different “type” of research than I typically do, allowing me to broaden my areas of expertise. As mentioned above, my work in France was quite different from my US research, so it was great to be able to culture eukaryotic cells, use a confocal microscope, and of course, actually work with the rabies virus!

Did or will your research in France lead to any co-publications?
It will!

If yes, please describe (name of journal, date of publication):
We currently have one paper related to this work under review, so ideally that will be out soon. We also have plans for a second paper which would include data we collected while I was in France, but have a couple more experiments to do before that is ready for submission.

Did you or one of your supervisors present your work at a seminar? Do you plan on doing so?
Not yet, but I am planning to present this work at the Protein Society

If yes, please describe (name of seminar, date, type of presentation):
Protein Society Symposium, June 30-July 3 of 2019, Poster

In your opinion, did the Chateaubriand Program contribute to closer ties between your US and French labs (why or why not)?
Certainly, we now have some ongoing collaborations related to the work that I did in France, that will hopefully become a publication in the not too distant future!

Did you improve your French while in France?
Bien sûr ! Although my pronunciation still leaves something to be desired.

Do you plan on returning to France in the future?
Definitely.

If yes, please describe your plans:
Not concrete, but I didn't really spend any time in the South of France. So I just have to go back to visit, haven't I?

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities or travel while in France?
Yep, I spent a lot of time exploring and enjoying Paris, took a few mini-trips in the Northern half of France during the weekends, did some rock-climbing, and then finished it all off with a solid month of travel around France/Europe last July. It was a blast!
Nicole Lloyd
August 20, 2019

Nicole Lloyd earned her PhD from Rutgers University, and she was a Chateaubriand fellow in 2016-2017 at the Université de Lyon 1, Claude Bernard for 6 months.

In which field did you carry out your research for your PhD and what was your specific area of study?
Microbiology; Metal and antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment

What is your current occupation?
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health

Please give a brief description of the work you completed in France:
Dr. Nazaret's lab studies metal and antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment. I performed phenotypic and genotypic characterization of three bacterial strains that I isolated from the gut of a fish. In Dr. Nazaret's lab, we explored metal resistance profiles, antibiotic resistance profiles, and the use of efflux pumps in resistance in these three strains. We also performed genome analysis on the isolates. I was able to advance my thesis work on the connection between mercury and antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment.

How was your experience as a researcher in France?
I had a very positive and productive experience in France. I appreciated the help of the many technicians in the department who helped with lab tasks, lab preparations, and running experiments. I was able to collaborate with different groups on campus to use shared equipment, which helped me accomplish many experiments. Finally, there were many experts that provided advice on experimentation, which was very helpful. I feel that my lab in France was better in all three of these areas compared to my lab in the US.

Comments on your experience as a researcher in France and conditions in your host lab:
See answer to above question.

My lab group, especially my PI (Sylvie Nazaret), was very welcoming. She helped me explore France outside of the lab, and made sure I had the right connections to get a lot of work done during my time in the lab. The entire lab group was very helpful and supportive of me.

Did or will your research in France lead to any co-publications?
yes

If yes, please describe (name of journal, date of publication):
Lloyd, N.A., Nazaret, S., Barkay. T. “Genome-facilitated discovery of RND efflux pump-mediated resistance to cephalosporins in Vibrio spp. isolated from the mummichog fish gut”. Under Review.

Lloyd, N.A., Nazaret, S., Barkay, T. "Whole genome sequences to assess the link between antibiotic and metal resistance in three coastal marine bacteria isolated from the mummichog gastrointestinal tract". Marine Pollution Bulletin. (2018) 135:514-520.

Did you or one of your supervisors present your work at a seminar? Do you plan on doing so?
If yes, please describe (name of seminar, date, type of presentation):

FEMS (Federation of European Microbiologists). Valencia, Spain, July 2017. Poster presentation.

ASM (American Society for Microbiology) Microbe. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. June 2018. Poster presentation.

In your opinion, did the Chateaubriand Program contribute to closer ties between your US and French labs (why or why not)?
Yes — it definitely did. We published one paper together, presented at two conferences, and we are in the process of writing two more papers. I have left my US lab, but I believe that my French lab may still be collaborating with other groups at Rutgers, on different projects.

Did you improve your French while in France?
Yes! I hardly spoke English at all in the lab. It was a great immersive experience, especially learning some of the French science vocabulary.

Do you plan on returning to France in the future?
I don't have any specific plans at the moment, but I would love to. I had such a positive experience living there.

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities or travel while in France?
I traveled quite a bit within France and visited eight other countries in Europe.

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