Clémentine Sitoleux
Clémentine Sitoleux (she/her)
Clémentine Sitoleux is a French PhD researcher who grew up in Nanterre - a vibrant city on the outskirts of Paris, France - before relocating in September 2025 to Wexford, Ireland, to pursue her PhD.
PhD Research
Project: Ponds for Pollinators
Funding: Fully supported by the Teagasc Walsh Scholar Programme
Affiliations: Part of two European initiatives
- RestPoll (Restoring pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes through multi-actor participatory approaches)
- ReFarm (Making farming for nature a sustainable and scalable solution to the biodiversity and climate crises)
Her research is based at Teagasc’s Environment, Soils, and Land Use Department at Johnstown Castle, Wexford, under the supervision of Prof. Jane Stout and Dr. Saorla Kavanagh.
Context: In Ireland, nearly one-third of native bee species are under threat. Agricultural intensification and habitat loss continue to undermine pollinator populations and ecosystem function.
Ponds, increasingly recognized as valuable semi-natural habitats, hold great potential for supporting biodiversity - yet their role in sustaining pollinators remains insufficiently understood.
Through a combination of ecological fieldwork, socio-ecological interviews, and landscape analyses, Clémentine aims to provide robust evidence on how farmland ponds can best support pollinators. Her goal is to inform the design of farmer-supported, cost-effective conservation strategies aligned with national and EU biodiversity targets.
Education
- Preparatory Studies in Biotechnology (2 years, post-baccalaureate)
- Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Environmental Science, Sorbonne University, Paris (3 years)
- Master’s Degree in Ecology, Sorbonne University, Paris (2 years)
Master’s Internships
First Year
- Institution: National Institute for Agricultural, Food and Environmental Research (INRAE), France
- Team: Continental Hydrosystems: Resources, Risks, Restoration (HYCAR)
- Project: Typology of beaver dams across France
- Output: Presented a poster at the National Conference on Beavers (Blois, France, December 2024) with supervisors Laura Plichard and Jérôme Belliard.
Second Year
- Institution: Ecology, Society, and Evolution Lab (UMR 8079 ESE),
- Team : Ecological process and anthropogenic pressure (PEPA)
- Project: Assessing the potential of “Éco-Quartiers” (eco-neighborhoods) for supporting biodiversity
- Output: Preparing a research publication with supervisors Carmen Bessa-Gomes and Muriel Deparis.
Additional Experience
- Participated in UCCRN_edu workshops in Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Charleroi (Belgium) on urban design and climate adaptation.
- Attended the CNRS Summer University in Roscoff, France - two * one-month field programs on marine fauna and flora ecology and identification.
Personal Interests
Outside of research, Clémentine enjoys gardening, crochet, running, cycling, and hiking. She’s an avid podcast listener, so feel free to share your recommendations! If you’re planning a trip to Paris, she’ll be delighted to share her favorite local spots.
Contact Information
📧 sitoleuc@tcd.ie
📧 Clementine.Sitoleux@teagasc.ie
🔗 LinkedIn – Clémentine Sitoleux