Florence Niedergang

Florence Niedergang studied Biochemistry and Immunology at ENS Cachan and Université Paris Diderot. She obtained her PhD from Université Paris Diderot in 1997 for studies on T lymphocytes antigen receptor activation and intracellular trafficking under the supervision of Andrés Alcover (Institut Pasteur, Paris). As an ARC and EMBO post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Jean-Pierre Kraehenbuhl at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), she investigated the role of dendritic cells and macrophages in the uptake and survival of bacteria in the gut. In 2001, she was recruited with a CNRS position in the laboratory of Philippe Chavrier at Institut Curie/CNRS in Paris and developed cell biology studies on phagocytosis in macrophages. In 2005, she joined Institut Cochin (Inserm/ CNRS/ Université Paris Descartes) as a group leader, funded by Start Programs from the CNRS (ATIP) and from the Ville de Paris. She is now director of the “Infection, Immunity and Inflammation” department and of the IMAG’IC (photonic imaging facility) of Institut Cochin. Her present work focuses on the mechanisms of internalization and activation of phagocytic cells in normal and pathological conditions (ie, infection by pathogens or inflammation).