[Behind the scenes in oceanography (3/12)]. Frédéric Marin is Director of the Laboratory for Spatial Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies (LEGOS) in Toulouse (France). For almost four years now, the physical oceanographer has been putting the various activities of his unit together to ‘get the best out of these musicians’ and produce high-quality science.
Each month, océans connectés goes out to meet the men and women who make oceanography work. They are laboratory technicians, topographers, engineers, sailors or meteorologists, and they are all essential to the smooth running of marine research. In this third episode, we take a look at the day-to-day life of Frédéric Marin, director of the Laboratoire d’Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS) in Toulouse.
by Marion Durand
Cover photo : Frédéric Marin © Marion Durand
Frédéric Marin welcomes us into his office, but very quickly takes us on a tour of the premises so that we can meet the members of the laboratory. ‘LEGOS is them too’, explains the director of the Laboratoire d’Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales. LEGOS is a joint research unit under the auspices of CNES, CNRS, IRD and the University of Toulouse. The laboratory is part of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, located at the heart of Toulouse’s major scientific complex.
Frédéric Marin has been unit director for nearly four years, after a career as a researcher. A physical oceanographer, he has long worked on the observation and understanding of tropical oceans using data from campaigns at sea, satellites and numerical modelling.
What are the duties of a laboratory manager ?
Frédéric Marin: I don’t see my job as a leader, but rather as a facilitator. The duties of the unit director (DU) are very diverse. There are regulatory tasks, such as ensuring safety in laboratories or chemistry rooms and creating an appropriate working environment. Then there are tasks related to the unit’s scientific strategy. I’m there to make researchers aware of developments in the world of research and to help the youngest researchers set up their projects, as they are not always aware of the different sources of funding. I also validate all the projects that come back to the laboratory. I act as a link between the supervisory bodies and the members of the laboratory. On the one hand, I’m the voice of the laboratory vis-à-vis our employers, and on the other, I’m the link in the chain of command.
As unit director, I’m responsible for all the laboratory’s staff, so I approve new recruits and welcome and support new arrivals. I also sometimes have to resolve problems relating to relations between members of the laboratory. These human resources tasks are an important part of our work, even though they weren’t initially part of our remit.
Work meeting at the LEGOS laboratory – Toulouse with Frédéric Marin. Photo : Marion Durand
Is the unit director responsible for the smooth running of a laboratory?
F.M. : For me, the unit director is like an orchestra conductor who has to set the various activities to music and get the best out of the musicians. My responsibility is to create the right working environment for quality science. I see the world of research as a creative environment where you have to be constantly innovating. To do that, you need an environment that allows people to be creative, and it’s up to the unit director to create it.
I also think that the role of the unit director has changed over the last 30-40 years. At the time, we needed a benchmark researcher who embodied and carried the laboratory with his aura. Today, DUs are more like research managers, individuals who choose to put themselves at the service of the group. In oceanography labs, which is what I know, I sincerely believe that the directors are not there to put themselves forward or to single-handedly run a laboratory. That’s not to say that they aren’t brilliant researchers, but I think that they are there to encourage a working group that enables the lab to function.
What’s your daily routine like?
F.M.: It’s very difficult to define a typical day. The most important thing is to be present and available to respond to needs and emergencies. My day starts at 8 a.m. and finishes around 6 or 8 p.m. When I arrive, I start by reading my emails, and there are a lot of them (laughs). I often have individual meetings with a researcher or a small group of researchers to set up a project. I also have meetings with the various supervisory bodies or with the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory. During the day, there’s always time for discussions with the administrative department, which can be about a complicated dossier, setting up a project or the budget.
LEGOS has adopted a manifesto to reduce its environmental footprint. Is it the role of DUs to encourage this kind of initiative?
F.M. : The environmental impact of research will be a major issue in the coming years and the allocation of funding will depend in part on the carbon footprint of projects. This is a question we are asking ourselves at LEGOS. In 2019, we carried out a carbon assessment of the unit. Unsurprisingly, missions, orders, travel to and from work and campaigns at sea are the items with a high carbon footprint. Following this calculation, we adopted a manifesto which was put to the vote. I then appointed an environment committee, made up of volunteers from the laboratory, to propose actions to reduce our carbon footprint and to define a sustainable path for the laboratory.
This request came from certain members of the unit who wanted to bring their scientific activity into line with their ecological and societal responsibilities. But the request also comes from the supervisory authorities, who have themselves defined quantified objectives. It’s a complicated subject because it oscillates between science and politics. It’s my job to put it on the table without it becoming a divisive or divisive issue.
What made you decide to become a laboratory director?
F.M.: What interests me most is understanding the global research environment, beyond my own research area. Also, this job allows me to extend my network, to meet other unit directors, to be in contact with all the staff, to reach out to the general public and to take part in events. The third motivating factor for me is that I get to be the voice of the laboratory, in other words, I get to defend the researchers’ subjects, and I get to discover themes that I didn’t know much about before. Finally, I’d say that the management and ‘listening unit’ aspect is interesting, because you get to know people in a different way and you support them. All these points are very motivating because I have the impression that I’m sowing little seeds that allow things to blossom.