Research themes

IUEM research units project can be presented very schematically in four main topics, broken down into objects and processes that researchers wish to better understand.

The ocean, a key actor in the biogeochemical cycles and climate of our planet

Ocean warming and circulation in the past, present and future
The chemical composition of ocean (especially trace metals) and major cycles: ocean acidification, deoxygenation, carbon cycle, pollution (e.g. heavy metals)
Energy cycles, scale interactions and physical-biological coupling: from ocean turbulence < 1 km, to large eddies > 100 km and the global ocean
The economic and legal challenges of global ocean change (warming, acidification)

Marine ecosystems and biodiversity

Physiological and adaptation processes of marine organisms
Properties of marine molecules, e. g. biofilms
Functioning of ecosystems and food webs
Cumulative impacts of exploitation pressures and biological and physico-chemical factors on the dynamics of exploited species and communities
Ecological, economic, social and legal determinants of the development of human activities such as fishing or aquaculture

Still unexplored oceanic depths

Deep-sea and ocean margin dynamics, associated earthquake risks, and mineral resource formation
Earth Mantle Dynamics and Continental Growth
Economic and legal stakes related to ocean domains
Micro-organisms in extreme deep-sea environments and hydrothermal springs

The coast, a complex and fragile interface

Physical processes in the coastal domain and at the land-sea interface, including interactions with atmosphere
Coastal territories, their dynamics and their vulnerabilities, both physical (remote sensing, geomatics approaches) and human (societies evolution, uses)
Public policies Analysis and evaluation and development of tools and scenarios to assist collective choices for coastal development

21 June 2019/by s0f1

Biology

SML Master

Biology

The Master’s degree is carried out in co-accreditation between the UBO and l’Institut Agro Rennes-Angers (Rennes site). It is is attached to IUEM – Université de Bretagne Occidentale and mainly to the Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences (LEMAR/UBO-CNRS-IRD-IFREMER) and the Biology and Ecology of Deep Marine Ecosystems Laboratory (BEEP/UBO-CNRS-IFREMER). The specialization also refers to the multidisciplinary centre of competence in the field of marine and coastal sciences existing in Brest and especially at Ifremer, which is a key partner in the training offer.

The diploma responds to a strong request for excellence in training through fundamental and applied research in the fields of marine ecosystems (course 1) and in the field of management through an ecosystemic approach of fisheries resources and aquatic environments (course 2).

The aim is to prepare young doctoral scientists, representing 2/3 of the students, with a specialization in marine biological sciences and to connect with environmental issues related to the evolution of the oceans. The training also leads 1/3 of the students to research careers related to the professional fields of marine biology, to which are added for the third course new professional opportunities within the organizations in charge of the upstream part of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Training courses

Marine biological sciences

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Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences

This course trains future scientists in the ecosystem-based management of living resources and marine environments.
They will have a high level of expertise in their scientific fields of reference, enabling them to carry out diagnostics and take appropriate decisions in complex situations and systems, both scientifically and in terms of the methods to be used and the diversity of interactions to be taken into account.
They are at the heart of scientific research, but are also capable of translating this knowledge into advice and project support. They implement relevant and innovative techniques in complex environments to act on territories and environments according to the analysis of the context and demand. They carry out experimental work.

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International Master of science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea)

The International Master in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) is a joint Master’s programme organised by ten leading European universities in the field of marine sciences. IMBRSea covers a wide range of topics related to the sustainable use of marine living resources. By focusing on marine biological and ecological processes, the programme links the biology of marine organisms to environmental studies and marine policy and planning topics:

University of Ghent (BE)
Sorbonne University (FR)
University of Algarve (PT)
University of Oviedo (ES)
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (IE)
University of the Basque Country (ES)
Marche Polytechnic University (IT)
University of Bergen (NO)
Université Bretagne Occidentale (FR)
Université de Côte d’Azur (FR) (NEW)

The program is also supported by fourteen marine research institutes belonging to the European Centre for Marine Biological Resources (EMBRC) and other associated partners.

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