[Behind the scenes in oceanography (1/12). Every month, océans connectés goes 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 first episode, we delve into the hectic daily life of Guillaume Massé, a biologist by training and Director of the Concarneau Marine Station.Although his duties now take him away from the field, he looks back with great pleasure on his years as a biologist and talks to us about the challenges of the job.
Texts and cover photo : Marion Durand
Like paintings, every window at the Concarneau Marine Station offers a breathtaking view of the ocean. The promise of ‘science with your feet in the water’ is kept by the oldest station in the world still in operation. More than 150 years after its creation, this station, like all the others in France, remains at the forefront of the science of marine ecosystems. Guillaume Massé, a research fellow at the french CNRS and oceanographer for over 25 years, has been in charge of the station since 1 December 2023. Before taking over as head of the Concarneau Marine Station, this native of Brittany rose through the ranks thanks to opportunities, encounters and ‘a bit of serendipity’, as he puts it.
A biologist by training, Guillaume Massé first became interested in oysters and the microalgae they eat. He began his career as a laboratory technician at the french “Institut des substances et organismes de la mer” (Isomer) in Nantes. He then crossed the Channel to take up a position as a research assistant before pursuing a doctorate in biochemistry. He learnt about the taxonomy of algae and obtained a position as a lecturer in organic chemistry at the University of Plymouth in England. In 2009, he was recruited by the CNRS as a palaeoceanographer and joined LOCEAN (Oceanography and Climate Laboratory: Experiments and Numerical Approaches) in 2019.
Now head of the Concarneau Marine Station, Guillaume Massé supervises a number of biologists, a position he held himself in his early career, and which he looks back on in our series dedicated to careers in oceanography.
What does a biologist do?
Guillaume Massé : « Biology is a discipline that can be broken down into many different professions. You can be a biology technician and work in support of oceanographers, which is what I did at the start of my career. The technician carries out a wide range of tasks, such as analyses and taking samples from organisms, and can also help analyse the data collected. It’s a technical job that supports research. There are also biological engineers who work at the interface between technology and research. They work in highly specialised fields, contribute to experiments and develop techniques to find out more about organisms. Researchers, on the other hand, use the results of these analyses and reflect on major scientific issues. Biology is a collaborative effort between technicians, engineers and researchers. »
Guillaume Massé at the Marine Station of Concarneau (France) © Marion Durand
Where does the biologist fit into the oceanographic chain?
Guillaume Massé : « Technicians, engineers and assistant engineers are extremely important. They play a vital role in the oceanographic chain and are essential to research. In the marine sciences, everyone has a place and an important role to play. All these professions work together, because you can’t know everything or be a specialist in every field. The ocean is a whole, a complex environment. We need to explore all the disciplines to understand what is happening biologically in the ocean, because everything is connected. »
What is the day-to-day life of a biologist like?
Guillaume Massé: ‘It depends on the type of biologist you’re talking about. My daily routine as a research biologist, before I became station manager, was to spend time thinking about projects and ideas and asking myself questions. Then you explore the scientific literature to see if these questions have already been addressed, and then you look for the financial resources to answer these questions, which is a very time-consuming part of the job. A biologist researcher must then call on students and staff to support him or her in this research project. This means training technicians, post-docs and PhD students. There is also the ‘field’ part, where sampling and measurements are taken. The field is a bit like Proust’s madeleine, you love having your feet in the water but as time goes by you can do less and less of it because you’re taken up with administration, scientific reports or writing. Writing articles is very important because it allows us to share what we learn and what we discover with our peers and with society at large. The day-to-day life of a biology researcher is like this: time is divided between all these different activities. »
The Viviers – Marinarium of Concarneau © MNHN – Agnès Iatzoura
What are the current challenges facing the biology profession?
Guillaume Massé : « Sharing knowledge seems to me to be essential. It’s extremely important that we find ways of communicating about our work, about what we’re observing and about the impact of ongoing changes. I think it’s important for researchers to dedicate part of their time to educating, training and informing the general public and younger generations. It’s for these reasons that I accepted the post of director, because I wanted to get involved with the public. The Concarneau Marine Station, at the heart of the marine environment, allows us to set up scientific outreach initiatives. It’s clear that we’re not just researchers, we’re also mediators, so we need to learn how to communicate. »
The final word ?
Guillaume Massé : « Biology is one of the disciplines that appeals to the general public. Living things are the gateway to the ocean. At the Concarneau Marine Station, we have decided to show only the organisms that live around us in our aquariums. The Marinarium is a reflection of what goes on in the laboratory. We don’t bring in exotic animals; we have local species that are sufficiently beautiful, diverse and colourful. By showing this underwater flora and fauna, we hope to amaze visitors so that they want to protect them. »