Marie-Pierre Rivière appointed Director of the ANSES Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory
Since 2017, Marie-Pierre Rivière has been Head of the Bee Diseases Unit at the ANSES Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory. She is also Deputy Head of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for bee health. She has been particularly involved in projects at European level. For example, she has served as an expert for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and participated in several research projects on bees.
As Director, she now coordinates all the activities of the ANSES Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory.[MA1] Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur Region since its creation, this laboratory specialises in two areas: bee health and Q fever in ruminants. With around 10 national, European and international mandates, the Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory is recognised for its many years of experience and in-depth expertise in the fields of reference and surveillance.
Marie-Pierre Rivière is succeeding Richard Thiéry, Research Director, who has retired after a career dedicated to animal virology.
“Bee health, which plays a crucial role in protecting biodiversity and our food supply but is under strain from numerous threats, and Q fever, a ruminant disease that can be transmitted to humans and is widespread around the world, are two areas that perfectly illustrate the scientific ‘One Health’ approach. The ANSES Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory, a key scientific player in these areas, holds around 10 national and international reference mandates. I will strive to ensure that its work takes into account the adaptations that need to be made in response to evolving health threats in the context of climate change. Together with all the teams, I will endeavour to uphold the highest standards for excellence in the research projects carried out while providing high-quality expertise to the health authorities and public policy-makers for the benefit of society”.
Marie-Pierre Rivière, Director of the ANSES Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory
A European career dedicated to bee health
Marie-Pierre Rivière earned her PhD in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in 2006. She began her scientific career in the field of plant health with research projects at INRAE, the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics in Madrid and La Sapienza University in Rome. She joined ANSES in 2011 as a project manager in bee microbiology and became the coordinator of the European network of National Reference Laboratories within the EURL for bee health. She was appointed Deputy Head of the Bee Diseases Unit in 2014 before becoming Head of the same unit in 2017.