Baptiste Nézel

Baptiste Nézel is a researcher at the Institute of Biology, General Zoology, within the College of Biosciences at Claude Bernard University Lyon 1. His work centers on the complex behavior and ecology of eusocial insects, particularly ants, and their interactions with plants, fungi, and animals. He leads the EMINENT project, investigating the impact of the ectoparasitic fungus Laboulbenia formicarum on the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus in Europe.

• Current Project: EMINENT - Consequences of an Emerging Parasite on an Invasive Ant Species
• Key Focus: Fitness effects, behavioral changes, community-level impacts, and spillover risks to native species
• Previous Work: Master's thesis on population genetics of Lasius niger at the University of Bern

His research involves meticulous laboratory experiments with mini-nests and extensive fieldwork in Lyon, France, including prevalence studies of fungal infections in ant supercolonies. Collaborators include Dr. Bernard Kaufmann (LEHNA laboratory) and students like Hannah Gaitzsch, who is studying aggression and nestmate recognition in infected ants.