Alain HEHN

Alain HEHN is a Lecturer at the University of Lorraine, affiliated with the L-INP college and ENSAIA, under the College of Engineering. His work integrates research and teaching in plant biotechnology, specialized metabolism, and metabolic engineering, focusing on high-value molecules from plants.

His research centers on plant adaptation through specialized metabolites, particularly the biosynthetic pathways involving key enzymes such as Cytochromes P450s, dioxygenases, prenyltransferases, and methyltransferases. These pathways are studied across phylogenetically diverse plant models to understand their evolutionary emergence and functional mechanisms. His work aims to identify and characterize the genes and enzymes involved in producing bioactive compounds, with applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agrochemicals. He leverages metabolic engineering to exploit these pathways for sustainable production of valuable molecules.

Within the university, Alain HEHN serves as Vice President of the Scientific Council of the University of Lorraine, reflecting his active leadership in academic governance. He teaches specialized metabolism, biotechnology, and plant breeding and improvement courses at ENSAIA. His research contributes to bridging plant science with industrial applications through the valorization of plant metabolic pathways.