Danger Grégoire

My main skills lie in organic chemistry, chemical reactivity and analytical-chemistry sciences. During my PhD, I experimentally investigated a possible scenario for the formation and the evolution of oligopeptides in primitive Earth conditions. I pursued this theme with a post-doc funded by NASA for analytical developments related to the search of biomolecules in the solar system. I then discovered astrochemistry in a second post-doc with a CNES grant in an astrophysical laboratory, where my main project was to develop experimental set-ups to simulate the formation of organic matter in cometary environments. Since my recruitment as an Associate Professor in the field of astrochemistry within the PIIM laboratory (Marseille), my main focus is to link the astrochemistry part of my research with the prebiotic part in an attempt to draw a global scenario for the evolution of organic matter from dense molecular clouds to prebiotic chemistry. I thus started my carrier in “classical” prebiotic chemistry, intended to search how biomolecules could have been formed on the early Earth. However, over the past ten years, I have deeply reflected on what should be the real goal of prebiotic chemistry. Today, this led me to a rupture in my view of thinking prebiotic chemistry: not to focus only on how molecules are formed but on how relevant chemical processes, through system chemistry, specific to living systems emerged on Earth. I propose a project that links astrochemistry and prebiotic chemistry in a rather new way of thinking, and therefore in a new field, the raise of chemical replicators in a given natural environment, where all has to be built. I have already developed various projects. In astrochemistry, I developed two main projects concerning organic residues and volatiles analyses coming from astrophysical ice analogues in order to trace the possible relationship between dense molecular ices and organic matter found in meteorites. These projects have been funded by the French National Research Agency, ANR, (RAHIIA_SSOM and VAHIIA grants) and by the French National Space Agency (CNES), as well as different CNRS funding (PCMI and PNP). I also developed a project related to prebiotic chemistry concerning the self-organization of organic matter in the conditions of primitive Earth by focusing on amino acid chemistry (funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR – PeptiSystems)). During the last ten years, these projects led me to develop a research group focusing on analytical and experimental developments related to astrochemistry and prebiotic chemistry. I supervised 4 post-docs (Alexander Ruf current post-doc, Alexis Bouquet 2 years, CNRS in 2020 (PI team), Thomas Gautier 1 year, CNRS in 2017, Ninette Abou Mrad 4 years, associate professor in 2018), 4 PhD student (Aurélien Fresneau currently CEA engineer, Adeline Garcia, Thomas Javelle and Laura Tenelanda current PhD students) and nine graduate students. Furthermore, because of my research dynamics, in 2017, Louis Le Sergeant d’Hendecourt, a CNRS senior scientist, joined my research group with his MICMOC experiment to reinforce our astrophysical side. In 2018, Vassilissa Vinogradoff was recruited as a permanent CNRS associate researcher to develop the organic/mineral interaction that could occur in various astrophysical environments. In 2019, Robert Pascal, also a senior scientist at CNRS, joined us to develop the theoretical part of the FAPCOME project that we published together in Nature Review Chemistry in 2020. The same year, Pr Michel Righezza joined us to strengthen the analytical part of our group. I also initiated the necessary national (GANIL, Caen, COBRA, Rouen, ICP2M, Poitiers, IAS, Paris, IMPMC, Paris, ICN, Nice) and international collaborations (Astrochemistry Lab, NASA Goddard, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Germany) that will be reinforced all along this project.