Antoine Stier profile picture
Antoine
Stier
Docent, Department of Biology
PhD

Areas of expertise

Ecophysiology
Ageing
Metabolism
Birds

Biography

I conducted my PhD in Ecophysiology at the  University of Strasbourg (2010-2013), working on the relationships between mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and animal life histories.  As a side-project of my PhD, I demonstrated that avian red blood cells possess functional mitochondria (Stier et al. 2013 Front. Zool.). Building on this finding, I developed collaborations with the French Polar Institute (2013-14) and the University of Aberdeen to use avian red blood cells to study mitochondrial function in non-model and wild animals. I then moved to the University of Angers for a Research and Teaching position (2014-2015), where I was in charge of teaching Animal Biology and Ecology. I developed a research project linking environmental constraints to accelerated ageing in a reptile species. I was then able to secure a Marie Curie fellowship (2016-17) to work as a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow on the impact of pre-natal environmental conditions on ageing rate, using Japanese quail as a model species. I moved to the University of Turku in 2018 where I work as a TCSM Research Fellow (2018-2021). I am investigating the importance of early-life hormonal exposure (stress and thyroid hormones) in determining mitochondrial function and telomere dynamics during development and later in life, using wild birds (king penguin and passerine species).

Teaching

2019: Supervision of Coline Marciau (Pre-PhD funding, University of Turku)

2019: Supervision of two MSc student projects (University of Turku, Finland)

  2017-2020: PhD co-supervision of Tiia Kärkkäinen (University of Turku)

2018: Co-supervision of two BSc student projects (University of Turku, Finland)

2017: Guest lecture in Animal Physiology (3rd BSc year, University of Glasgow, UK)
2016: Supervision of two MSc and one BSc student projects (University of Glasgow, UK)

2015: Courses in Zoology, Ecology and Behavioural Ecology and (100 contact hours: 1st BSc year, 2nd BSc year, 1st MSc year, University of Angers, France)          

2015: Supervision of two MSc student projects (University of Angers, France)
2015: Supervision of one PhD chapter (Universities of Angers and Toulon, France)
2014: Courses in Zoology and Applied Ecology (90 contact hours: 1st BSc & MSc years, University of Angers)
2013: Practical course of Ecology and Lecture in Biodiversity (30 contact hours: 2nd BSc year, 2nd MSc year, University of Strasbourg, France)
2012: Courses in Zoology and Behavioural Ecology (60 contact hours: 1st BSc & MSc years, University of Strasbourg, France)
2012: Supervision of three MSc student projects (University of Strasbourg, France)
2011: Courses in Behavioural Ecology (40 contact hours: 1st and 2nd MSc years, University of Strasbourg)
2011: Supervision of two MSc student projects (University of Strasbourg, France)

2010: Courses in Zoology and Ethology (60 contact hours: 1st and 2nd BSc years, University of Strasbourg)


Research

My research is at the crossroad between physiology, ecology and gerontology. I am broadly interested in the physiological mechanisms contributing to the ageing process and their implication in shaping organism’s phenotype from the conception to the death. My research focus on the contribution of mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, stress hormones and telomere dynamics as proximate mechanisms shaping health, ageing and life histories. I use mainly bird species as models, both in captivity and in their natural environment

Publications

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