Roland Douce
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Roland Douce | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 May 1939 Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val de Marne |
| Died | 4 November 2013 (aged 74) La Tronche, Isère |
| Education | University of Paris |
| Known for | Characterization of cardiolipin |
| Awards | Silver medal of the CNRS; Member of the National Academy of Sciences; Légion d’Honneur, France |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Plant biochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Paris;, Johnson Research Foundation, Philadelphia; University of California, San Diego; University of Grenoble |
| Thesis | Structure, localization and metabolism of diphosphatidylglycerol, or cardiolipin, in plants (1961) |
Roland Douce (18 May 1939, in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val de Marne – 4 November 2018, in La Tronche, Isère) was a plant biologist and professor who, along with his students, created a world-renowned plant biology centre in Grenoble, France, focusing on the biology of chloroplasts and mitochondria and their roles in plant metabolism under normal or stressed physiological conditions.
He attained secondary education at the Marcelin Berthelot high school and the Arsonval college in Saint-Maur, and a baccalaureate in experimental sciences, in 1958. He had his graduate studies at the University of Paris, gaining a natural sciences degree in 1961. His PhD thesis at the University of Paris, in 1970 was titled "Structure, localization and metabolism of diphosphatidylglycerol, or cardiolipin, in plants"(1)
Positions occupied
- Assistant, University of Paris, 1961,
- Master's assistant, University of Paris, 1965.
- Post Doctoral Fellow, 1970 to 1972, at the Johnson Research Foundation in Philadelphia (USA) in the group of Professor Walter D. Bonner Jr.
- Research Assistant, 1972 to 1973 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (USA) in the group of Professor Andrew A. Benson.
- Professor University of Grenoble, 1973–2004, Professor Emeritus after 2004.
Administrative responsibilities
- Creator and head of the Laboratory of Cell and Plant Physiology, University of Grenoble, associated with CNRS, CEA and INRA until 1991.
- Scientific adviser at the CEA, 1979.
- Scientific adviser at Rhône-Poulenc-Agrochimie, 1982.
- Creator and head of the CNRS-Rhône-Poulenc-Agrochimie joint research unit, 1985–1997.
- Head of the Plant Physiology Department at INRA, 1985–1990.
- Director of research at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 1995–1998.
- Director of the Jean-Pierre Ebel Institute of Structural Biology in Grenoble, 2002–2005.
In addition to these responsibilities, he participated in numerous scientific committees, including the national committee of the CNRS
Teaching activities
Roland Douce taught at all university levels. He was an outstanding, and passionate teacher. He had a profound impact on many of his students. He was a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France, 1992–2002.
Publications
Author of nearly 250 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals and numerous journal articles and book chapters. Main journals: Biochemical Journal (35), Journal of Biological Chemistry (27), European Journal of Biochemistry (20), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (12), Plant Physiology (50), Biochemistry (8), Biochimica Biophysica Acta (13), FEBS Letters (14), Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics (13).
Areas of expertise
Cell and whole plant physiology, specialising in chloroplasts and mitochondria, cell metabolism, especially energy metabolism, amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis. Biochemistry, molecular biology and structural biology. Botany and ornithology.
