Introducing ZeroAMP’s member - Clara Roujeau

"The challenges of collaborative research projects are often similar in biology, IT or electronics - no matters the discipline!"

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Clara Roujeau and I am currently working as project manager at SCIPROM Sàrl, a Swiss SME which supports researchers in collaborative EU-funded projects.
I live in Renens, a small town close to where I work in St-Sulpice; both places are close to Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva with a very nice view of the lake, mountains and vineyards! My workplace is also very close to EPFL and University of Lausanne, which facilitates a lot the interaction with researchers and innovators.

What is your background?

I studied engineering at Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA de Lyon) in France, with a degree in “Biochemistry and Biotechnologies”. Since I was fascinated by the scientific method in basic research, I decided to do a PhD at Institut Cochin (Paris, France), followed by a post-doc at University of Lausanne in cellular metabolism. More specifically, during my PhD and post-doc, I studied the defects in cellular communication related to leptin (hormone) and glucose (sugar) sensing in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
After 7 years at the bench in the lab, I wanted to contribute to research in another way – this is where SCIPROM came into play, which I joined a bit more than 2 years ago!

What is your part in the project?

I am the project manager in ZeroAMP: in this role, I support the Project Coordinator – Piers Tremlett (Microchip Technology, Caldicot, UK) – in his tasks to deal with legal, financial and administrative issues, and also to comply with the EC requirements in terms of deliverables, scientific and financial reporting.
I am also work package leader for WP8, which deals with the dissemination, communication and exploitation activities of the project. While the communication to the scientific community and the exploitation and sustainability strategies are coordinated by the German partner AMO GmbH, at SCIPROM we are responsible for the communication activities to the large public. This includes the creation and maintenance of the ZeroAMP website, presence on social media (LinkedIn), preparation of flyers, videos etc. Check out the Outcomes webpage to discover these materials, and even more!

What do you find more exciting?

Although my scientific background is quite far away from the fields of expertise in ZeroAMP, I truly enjoy participating in the regular consortium meetings with the scientists and engineers involved in this project. Of course, I don’t understand all technical details discussed, but I do realize that thorough and honest exchanges between experts are always crucial to solve technical issues, adjust the research methods, and in the end keep the project moving forward. The challenges of collaborative research projects are often similar in biology, IT or electronics - no matters the discipline!

Do you have a favorite quote?

"Il naviguait en père peinard, sur la grand-mare des canards, et s'appelait les Copains d'abord" which are lyrics from the French and famous singer Georges Brassens.