Dr. Domitille Coq--Etchegaray

PostDoc Spatial Genetic

About Me

Hi, my name is Domitille! I am a PostDoc working at the University of Zurich with a main study focus of identifying the genetic basis underlying varying natural trait variation, such as leaf metabolites or functional traits obtained from airborne data.
Model species: Fagus sylvatica

Language: English (B2-C1), French (mother tongue), German (A1, enroll A2 class)

Keywords: population genomics, genome-wide association analysis, bioinformatics, metabolomics
Programming Skills: R, Python, Unix, Snakemake, Singularity, Slurm-HPCs, Git
Wet-lab: DNA extraction, metabolomic extraction (LC-MS) Fieldwork: Leaf sampling in forest environments

Experience

PostDoc Spatial Genetics (80%)

Universität Zurich, Department of Geography and Chemistry

February 2024 - Present

PostDoc in Spatial Genetics group (Prof. Meredith Schuman)

Main focus:

  1. Genome-wide association study within the Laegern beech forest (Zurich, Switzerland). Can we identify the genetic basis of tree functional traits derived from Earth observation data?

  2. Study of source of variation of leaf chemical production within beech provenances at early life stage

  3. Metabolomic profiling of a southern beech population

Fundraising assistant (20%)

Plant Science Center, ETH

March 2025 - Present

Task: Fundraising, grant writing support (MSCA COFUND, MSCA DN)

PhD student (INRAe)

UMR BIOGECO (Cestas) - UMR GDEC (Clermont-Ferrand) FRANCE

December 2020 - Decembre 2023

http://www.theses.fr/s258031

PhD Subject: Genetic bases of specialized metabolites variation and effect on biotic interactions in a major crop (Triticum aestivum) and a dominant forest tree (Quercus petraea).

biogeco drawing

Fundings

Rübel Fund 2025

Swiss Society for Plant Biology

Unraveling the genetic basis of survival “biomarkers” in a strongly selected early life stage of common beech trees

Workshops

Workshop Beech Genomes for the Future

April 4, 2025 University of Zurich

Member of workshop organization

Conference presentations

ESEB Conference Barcelona 2025

https://eseb2025.com/list-of-symposia/#S01

Symposium organizer: Adaptation to environmental changes in trees through the lens of common gardens and genomics

Talk title: Genetic architecture of leaf specialized metabolites natural variation within sessile oak populations

Young researchers days

03-05 April 2023 Clermont-Ferrand, France

https://eng-jjc2023.journees.inrae.fr/

Member of the organizing commitee
Poster: Differentiated gene expression response of specialized metabolites-related genes among five modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars to the infection of Fusarium graminearum

Symposium Future PhDs for Future Forests

28-30 September 2022 Göttingen, Germany

Science & Environment Department mobility grant, Univerity of Bordeaux

https://www.evoltree.eu/training/item/symposium-future-phds-for-future-forests

Talk title: Genetic architecture of leaf specialized metabolites in sessile oak (Quercus petraea)

ESEB Conference Prague 2022

14-19 August 2022 Prague, Czech Republic

EVOLTREE Conference Grant

https://www.eseb2022.cz/

Talk title: Genetic architecture of leaf specialized metabolites in sessile oak (Quercus petraea)

EVOLTREE Conference 2021

14-17 September 2021, Online

https://www.evoltree.eu/conferences/conference/first-evoltree-conference-2021

Talk title: Genome-wide association study of leaf specialized metabolites in sessile oak (Quercus petraea) provenances.

Education

PhD - Evolutionary, Functional & Community Ecology

University of Bordeaux

2020 - 2023

Master of Science degree in Bioinformatics

University of Bordeaux

2018-2020