Olivier Berteau

Olivier Berteau is a Research Professor at AgroParisTech, affiliated with the Food Microbiology department within the joint research unit Micalis (INRAE, AgroParisTech) in Île-de-France. He co-leads the Chemistry and Synthetic Biology (ChemSyBio) team, focusing on microbiota biochemistry and bioactive molecule engineering.

His educational background includes:

• Diplôme d’étude approfondie (DEA) in Biological and Medical Engineering
• Doctorate in Chemistry specializing in Biomaterials

Berteau's research pioneers the enzymatic mechanisms of bacterial peptide modification (methylation, cyclization, epimerization) to develop novel antibiotics and microbiota-based therapeutics. His work bridges fundamental biochemistry with applications against drug-resistant pathogens and host-microbiome interactions, emphasizing natural product engineering for health interventions.

Key scientific contributions are recognized through:

• ERC Consolidator Grant (2013) for NoRaChem project on radical peptide chemistry
• ERC Proof of Concept Grant (2017) for D_Bug project targeting multi-resistant microbes
• ERC Grant (2020) for Entrap project engineering natural products
• INRAE Young Researcher Award (2010)

He directs substantial ERC-funded initiatives totaling over €1.5 million, translating basic research into antimicrobial strategies. Current projects focus on enzymatic platforms for next-generation antibiotics and microbiota modulation, addressing critical public health challenges in infectious disease.

Berteau operates within Micalis' interdisciplinary ecosystem, integrating microbiology, biochemistry, and synthetic biology expertise through the ChemSyBio team to advance molecular understanding of host-microbiota dynamics.