Thibault Sterckeman

A graduate in agricultural engineering from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences in Gembloux (Belgium), Thibault Sterckeman joined INRAE in 1988 to head the Arras Soil Analysis Laboratory, a unit of about 40 people that conducts analyses of rocks, soils, and solutions for the Institute’s researchers and external clients. His research focuses on the biogeochemistry of potentially toxic trace metals, the fluxes of these elements in cultivated soils, cadmium accumulation by plants, and the modeling of reactive transport in the rhizosphere.

In addition to managing the unit, he has conducted methodological research on soil quality assessment, particularly on the evaluation of contamination by trace elements. This led to investigations into the pedogeochemical background and the phytAVAILABILITY of trace elements. He thus initiated and coordinated the creation of the Pedogeochemical Reference Database for the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Furthermore, he worked on the development of physicochemical and isotopic methods for assessing the phytAVAILABILITY of trace elements.

In 2000, he joined the Soil and Environment Laboratory (LSE) to continue his research and prepare a doctoral dissertation, which he defended in 2004, and a Habilitation to Supervise Research (HDR), which he obtained in 2008. He led the “Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soils” team from its inception in 2006 until 2012.