Martine HOSSAERT is a senior scientist at the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology in Montpellier, and also the Scientific Advisor of the National Institute of Ecology and Environment of the CNRS. A specialist in chemical ecology—the role of chemical signals and defenses in mediating interactions among organisms—she headed a multi-laboratory CNRS research group on that subject. This group organized an international symposium, published an edited volume on French research in chemical ecology, and laid the groundwork for the future by training the next generation of students. She was also the president of two CNRS national committees (responsible for hiring of researchers and evaluation of laboratories), the committee for population, community and evolutionary ecology and the committee for interdisciplinary sciences.
As Scientific Advisor for Biodiversity at the CNRS she develops new scientific programs that treat cutting-edge research priorities. She contributes to define CNRS research strategy in biodiversity studies, spearheading initiatives on themes such as biodiversity and global changes, health ecology, and Nature Based Solutions. Her work in the CNRS includes taking part in high-level strategic and funding decisions by agencies in France (ANR, INRA, FRB) and Europe (Biodiversa) and representing France in meetings of international conventions. She was the CNRS representative at COP 13 of the Convention for Biological Diversity in Cancún, Mexico (December 2016) and at COP 14 in Sharm-El Sheikh, Egypt (December 2019). She was also a member of the French delegation for the IPBES-6 Plenary in Medellin, Colombia (Mai 2018) and the IPBES-7 in Paris. She will participate as an attendee as the COP26 on climate change in Glasgow and the COP15 for Biodiversity (CBD) in Kunming (China).