I have come to GRC from the Laboratoire des Geomateriaux of the Universite de Marne-la-Vallee, which is located near Paris (France). I'm here as a postdoctoral fellow granted by JSPS for 2 years. I came to Japan, with my girlfriend Laure, and then, it's the first time for both of us that we plan to stay so long in Japan.
　I received my Ph D. degree from University of Marne-la-Vallee in November 2006, working with Laurent Gautron and Michel Madon as supervisors. My research topic was the location of uranium and thorium in the lower mantle, as major heat sources of the Earth.
　During my Ph D. study I performed solid-solid reactions by using multi-anvil press apparatus, in the stability field of Ca-perovskite, at the Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, in Clermont-Ferrand (France). Then later I studied pyrolite systems in contact of U and Th, in the stability field of the Mg-perovskite, at the Bayerisches GeoInstitute in Bayreuth (Germany). We showed in those experiments that up to 35 wt% of UO2 or ThO2, can be incorporated into the CaSiO3 perovskite via a coupled substitution of CaSi2 by (U,Th)Al2.
　Then I worked with Denis Andrault, on the structure and compressibility of the U-bearing aluminous CaSiO3 perovskite phase, by performing angle dispersive x-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation, in a laser heated diamond anvil cell, at the ID30 beamline of the ESRF (France).
　Next to this study, we performed, X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements with Francois Farges, at the LIII edges of U and Th, on the ID22 beamline of the ESRF (France) and line 11-2 of SSRL (Stanford, USA). We also record spectra at the MIV/V edges of U and Th and K edges of Ca, Al and Si on the LUCIA beamline of SLS (Switzerland). The goal of this study is to determine the speciation and redox state of U and speciation of Th when they are incorporated in the aluminous Ca-perovskite.
　In about the beginning of 2006, I stayed 2 months as visiting researcher, in the Laboratory of Cristallography of ETH Zurich (Switzerland) where I worked with Artem R. Oganov and Daniel Y. Jung on the U-bearing CaSiO3 perovskite. We performed first principle ab initio calculations in order to validate experimental results and then extend them to the deep lower mantle.
　It is now a great pleasure and honour for me to be able to work at GRC's for two years. During that time I'll try to make my research interests evolve: the main direction will be to understand the behaviour and location of radiogenic elements in the Earth, but I'm also open to other directions like the ones that can grow up from discussions with GRC's members. I expect to interact strongly with all students and professors of GRC, and I wish that we can do great works together.
　



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