At the Liryc Institute, innovation is not limited to the laboratories. As part of our series of profiles highlighting women in science, we meet Mathilde, a research engineer specialising in imaging.
From Télécom Physique Strasbourg to IHU Liryc, discover the career path of a committed engineer who proves that high technology, environmental responsibility and sustainable scientific research can (and must) go hand in hand.
Can you tell us about your career path and your current role at Liryc?
I am a research engineer in the physiopathology division, specialising in imaging. I studied health information technology engineering at Télécom Physique Strasbourg. It was during this course that I joined the Liryc Institute for my final year internship. Following this experience, I joined the team as an engineer.
My current project involves ‘recalibrating’ images between optical mapping and very high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (9.4 Tesla). The aim is to match these different imaging modalities in order to enrich our scientific analyses.
At what point in your career did the issue of environmental impact in your profession and sustainable scientific research become a priority?
It is the result of a gradual realisation, fuelled by encounters and discussions. Initially, it was more of a personal reflection.
However, upon discovering the hospital and research environment, I realised that we had significant room for improvement in terms of sustainability. I would like us to incorporate some form of environmental responsibility into our daily work.
For me, opening up debate and encouraging discussion within the institute is essential for working together to develop more environmentally responsible guidelines.
Research is essential to understanding climate change, but like any activity, it consumes energy.
How do you reconcile this paradox in your daily life?
It is a real paradox. We work to advance science, but our tools, such as high-field imaging, are inherently energy-intensive.
Changing these practices at the laboratory level requires long-term work, but there are more immediate levers for action that can reduce our carbon footprint: promoting soft mobility for our commutes to work or favouring the train for our business trips. These are complementary actions. Even though our research activity is not carbon neutral, we try to optimise every parameter within our means to be as consistent as possible with current challenges.
In your opinion, what priority actions should be encouraged to make research more sustainable?
A major lever lies in travel management. It is important to question the necessity of each journey: can we favour remote working or the train for certain conferences? When we know that a journey from Bordeaux to Nice by train emits 26 times less kgCO2 than by plane, we should no longer even be asking ourselves which mode of transport to take!*
Consideration should also be given to the consumption of materials and single-use items in the laboratory.
At the same time, we can explore the option of second-hand equipment. For example, the physiopathology division acquired a confocal microscope at auction following the closure of a laboratory. By using a device that has already been used rather than a new product, we reduce the impact associated with manufacturing components.
This is a circular economy approach that we should strive to generalise.
Which initiatives or figures inspire you in the field of more sober science?
There are platforms such as Labos 1 point 5 or the exhibition ‘Ça chauffe chez les Scientifiques’ (It’s heating up among scientists) by La physique autrement, which I found very inspiring and aesthetically pleasing.
I am also thinking of activists such as Camille Etienne, who uses scientific facts to show that global warming is a factual reality.
Finally, I am very interested in the ‘low-tech’ movement. Instead of always going for the latest technology, the idea is to get back to basics and use more modest technologies. It is very inspiring to rethink the way we consume energy.
What message would you like to convey to young women who want to pursue a career in science but are concerned about environmental issues?
I would tell them that science offers a variety of exciting careers. Bringing this environmental awareness to cutting-edge sectors is a real opportunity, but also a chance to change practices from within.
It is crucial that people who are aware of environmental issues get involved in all scientific fields so that these concerns become cross-cutting and sustainable scientific research becomes the norm!
