Daphné Lemasquerier, L'Oréal-Unesco Young Talent Award

Fanny Trifilieff: Can you sum up your career in a few sentences?

Daphné Lemasquerier: After a preparatory class in biology, physics, chemistry, and earth sciences on Reunion Island, I joined the Geosciences department at ENS Lyon, where I specialized in the physics and chemistry of the earth and other planets. Through various internships, I discovered my current discipline: geophysical fluid mechanics. Having grown up on Reunion Island, with its volcano and rich geological environment, I've always had an interest in modeling and understanding my environment. This is also what I like about my discipline: doing fundamental physical modeling of environmental phenomena observed on Earth, in the oceans, in the atmosphere or on other planets. I then completed my geosciences training with an M2 in fluid mechanics and non-linear physics in Marseille, before going on to write my thesis at the Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Équilibre(thesis defended on October 13, 2021).

F.T: What is the subject of your award-winning research?

D.L : I spent three years working on the dynamics observed in the cloud layer covering Jupiter. We studied the large cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, such as the Great Red Spot, but also the dynamics of east-west winds, known as zonal winds. The latter, very intense and stable, are responsible for Jupiter's white and ochre band structure. We model these phenomena in laboratory fluid mechanics experiments. Our approach is to reproduce the fundamental physical ingredients that cause these phenomena to exist. Then we try to model the basic processes behind them, so that we can extrapolate them to the planets. This is quite complementary to the direct observations made possible by space probes like Juno. Sometimes, the measurements and data received can be difficult to interpret, but by confronting them with our models, we can draw out more information.

F.T: What does it mean to you to be the winner of the L'Oréal-Unesco Young Talent Award for Women in Science?

D.L: It's a real bonus for starting your scientific career! In addition to the recognition of having received this prize, the financial endowment(€15,000 for doctoral students, editor's note) gives you the autonomy to plan your future career. For my part, I'm going to do a postdoc in Texas. This prize will give me the opportunity to criss-cross the American laboratories, with which we don't necessarily have contact when we're in Europe. I'd also like to return to Réunion Island to do some science outreach and encourage young girls and boys to take up science. I think it's important for young people to take the time to question their affinities, to cultivate their curiosity and to ignore outside influences, social pressures and gender biases that can deter them from getting involved in science, even if it's not always easy.