Sylvain Petek, PhD
Scientific Diver
Bio
PhD in Chemistry and Molecular Physicochemistry from UHP-Nancy I (France)
Scientific skills:
- Synthesis, extraction, purification, and analysis of organic chemical compounds
- Biological studies, activities on biological targets
- Underwater experiments
Trained chemist, his thesis was devoted to the synthesis of enzyme inhibitors, aimed to antibacterial activities. After 2 years of postdoctoral position at the “Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles ” (ICSN/CNRS - Gif/Yvette, France), in charge of projects about organic synthesis and extraction of marine natural products, he was recruited by the “Institut de Recherche pour le Développement” (IRD) in 2006.
At first based in New Caledonia, then in French Polynesia since 2010, he work on marine natural products mainly extracted from sponges and ascidians, for therapeutic purposes and chemotaxonomic studies.
In parallel, he initiated and he manages the project “Cantharella” a natural product database. This secured internet collaborative tool, capitalizes data of organisms sampled for chemical and biological studies, from harvesting to the bioassays and isolated molecules.
