Portrait of Fabien Jourdan

Fabien Jourdan, INRAE ​​research director within the Food Toxicology unit (Toxalim), studies metabolic networks to model the impact of food contaminants on human metabolism.

How did you come to work at INRAE?

F.J.: “After training in computer science and a doctoral thesis that led me to become interested in biological networks, I passed an INRAE ​​competition for a research position in the field of metabolic networks at the Toxalim unit.”

What are your main responsibilities?

F.J.: “I am co-leader of the Metabolism and Xenobiotics (MeX) team, which studies the metabolic effects of food contaminants. Specifically, we investigate the health impact of molecules that can migrate into food, considering the doses to which consumers can be exposed through their diet. I lead a group of about fifteen people, including specialists in bioinformatics and modeling, and three doctoral students.

My goal is to use metabolic networks, which represent all the biological reactions that allow our bodies to produce energy and the compounds essential for cell maintenance and growth, to model the impact of food contaminants on human metabolism.

My work involves developing and applying algorithms to analyze experimental data, such as metabolomics (or transcriptomics), to identify the parts of the body's metabolism affected by genetic or environmental disruptions.” My team draws on the entire body of scientific literature, chemical information on molecules, and disease data to develop algorithms for better understanding this data. These tools are made available to the international scientific community free of charge, notably through the tool we developed, called MetExplore, for interpreting their omics data.

Beyond the science, what I also enjoy is the human aspect: ensuring that the team enjoys working together and encouraging the development of young talent. I try to apply the motto that perfectly reflects this vision: "Alone, we go faster; together, we go further!"

Since 2021, I have been the director of the national metabolomics and fluxomics infrastructure, MetaboHUB, which comprises six regional hubs and 150 staff members across France. My mission is to coordinate the scientific program to study metabolism, develop methods, and explore applications in various fields, particularly in humans, but also in plants and biotechnology.
MetaboHUB was established in 2013, and I was fortunate enough to participate in its creation. I led a work package for several years before being asked to take over the directorship. This project is incredibly enriching on a personal level, and that's what I particularly enjoy.

Finally, since January 1, 2025, we have established a joint service unit (UMS Metabohub-Core) at the Toulouse center, dedicated to coordinating the infrastructure, and I am its director. The goal is to ensure the long-term viability of the infrastructure, increase its visibility, and facilitate its coordination to make it more efficient, so that our research gains greater international visibility, particularly in Europe.

What are your additional responsibilities?

F.J.: “I provide free training on the tool we developed, MetExplore, both in France and abroad. This training includes the creation of educational materials, as well as courses and practical exercises on the tool.

I am also involved in leading scientific networks. I was president of the French-speaking network for metabolomics and fluxomics from 2015 to 2019. My role was to promote this field, support young researchers at the start of their careers, and organize an annual conference, including a European event in Toulouse in 2020.
Finally, I am part of the management team of the “human nutrition” department, where I am in charge of leading the digital research component.”

And after work?

F.J.: "Between running, hiking, golf, and diving, I have many activities after work, but it's sometimes difficult to find the time to do them regularly. Indeed, my one-year-old son takes up a large part of my time; he is naturally my priority, and I'm delighted about that!"

Mini CV

2025: Director of the Metabohub-Core Joint Service Unit, INRAE ​​Occitanie-Toulouse
2021: Director of the French National Metabolomics and Fluxomics Infrastructure
2017: Research Director, INRAE ​​Occitanie-Toulouse, TOXALIM, Toulouse
2015: Habilitation to Supervise Research (HDR), Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse
2005: Researcher, INRAE ​​Occitanie-Toulouse, TOXALIM, Toulouse
2004: PhD, University of Montpellier 2
2001: Master's degree in Computer Science, University of Montpellier 2