Jonathan Marescaux

Background

About Jonathan Marescaux

I studied biology (2005-2010) at the University of Namur (UNamur) and specialized in biodiversity. During my Master thesis, I contributed to the phylogeographical study of the invasive basket clams Corbicula. This work investigated the morphology, the phylogeny and the reproduction of these Asiatic clams. I graduated in 2010 and was awarded the prize "Jacques Kets" in 2010 and the prize "Adrien Bauchau" in 2012 for my excellent Master thesis on Corbicula. In October 2010, I obtained a PhD grant from the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) to start four years of research in the LEGE laboratory (UNamur) on the invasion of Western Europe by the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis). My thesis activities included the following main topics: 1) to update the distribution of the quagga mussel in Belgium; 2) to elucidate the invasion pathways of the species in Western Europe; and 3) to assess the impacts of Dreissena mussels by determining filtration rate, life cycle and ecological links between Dreissena mussels and other macro-invertebrates. I obtained my PhD in December 2014. After my PhD thesis, I worked as researcher/consultant at UNamur on a project funded by Firestone Building Products (Company) aiming to describe freshwater ecosystems in Belgium and Oceania. This was a strong signal and allowed me to consider the creation of my own company. In November 2015, I obtained a First Spin-Off grant from the Walloon Region in order to create a consulting firm, proposing biological inventories based on the environmental DNA methods. I therefore surrounded myself with local economic development agencies (e.g. BEP, Namur Invest group and WBC-incubator) and I took several training courses in order to build our business plan and our financial forecast. This allowed me to apprehend the entrepreneurial adventure with serenity.