Heading to France: My INRAE Research Internship Journey |

As we begin 2025, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news about the next chapter in my research journey. This April, I’ll be heading to Paris, France for a four-month research internship at INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) in collaboration with Université Paris-Saclay.

🎯 Research Focus: Poisson Log-Normal Models

My research at INRAE will focus on comprehensive benchmarking of Poisson Log-Normal (PLN) models, a cutting-edge statistical framework for analyzing microbial data. This work represents a natural extension of my published research on cross-validation methods for network inference algorithms.

What are PLN Models?

Poisson Log-Normal models provide a sophisticated framework for analyzing count data with complex correlation structures - exactly the kind of data we encounter in microbiome research. These models excel at:

Principal Component Analysis for high-dimensional biological data
Abundance prediction in microbial communities
Network inference for understanding species interactions

The Research Challenge

While PLN models show great theoretical promise, there’s been limited systematic comparison of their performance against traditional approaches. My internship will address this gap by:

Benchmarking PLN models across three key applications
Running large-scale cross-validation experiments to quantify performance gains
Demonstrating practical advantages over generalized linear models for microbial count prediction

💰 Prestigious International Funding

This opportunity has been made possible through an extraordinary combination of international research awards totaling over €25,000:

🇨🇦 PBEEE Research Mobility Scholarship ($12,000 CAD)

The Quebec government’s prestigious scholarship for short-term international research collaborations. This highly competitive award supports research exchanges between institutions in different countries.

🇪🇺 International Mobility Grant (€13,500)

Awarded by the DATAIA Institute, this grant is specifically designed to support research collaboration and student exchange between institutions in different countries.

🇫🇷 INRAE Junior Scientific Mobility Program (€2,300)

The INRAE Hadamard initiative designed to foster scientific exchange and collaboration among researchers.

🌍 Building International Research Networks

This internship represents more than just a research project - it’s about building lasting international collaborations that will shape the future of computational biology research.

Key Collaborators

I’ll be working with leading researchers in statistical modeling and computational biology:

Dr. Julien Chiquet - Expert in statistical learning for biological networks
Dr. Mahendra Mariadassou - Specialist in microbiome data analysis
Dr. Stéphane Robin - Pioneer in statistical models for biological data

Their collective expertise in PLN models, combined with my background in cross-validation and high-performance computing, creates an ideal environment for groundbreaking research.

Bridging Continents

This collaboration creates a unique tri-continental research network:

🇺🇸 North America: High-performance computing expertise (NAU’s Monsoon cluster)
🇫🇷 Europe: Advanced statistical modeling frameworks (INRAE’s PLN expertise)
🇨🇦 Quebec Network: Methodological validation through government-supported collaboration

🔬 Expected Impact

The outcomes of this internship will have broad implications for:

Academic Research

Methodological advances in statistical modeling for biological data
Open-source software contributions to the R/Python ecosystem
Joint publications bridging American and European research communities

Practical Applications

Improved microbiome analysis for medical diagnosis
Better understanding of microbial community dynamics
Enhanced predictive models for ecological and health applications

📈 Looking Forward

The four months in Paris will be intense and productive, but I’m most excited about the long-term collaborations this will establish. International research partnerships are crucial for tackling the complex challenges in computational biology and statistical modeling.

What’s Next?

Over the coming months, I’ll be:

Finalizing research protocols and computational approaches
Preparing for the cultural transition - brushing up on my French! 🇫🇷
Setting up remote access to NAU’s computing resources for seamless collaboration
Planning knowledge transfer activities to share insights with both institutions

💭 Reflections on International Research

This opportunity reinforces my belief that the most impactful research happens at the intersection of different expertise, cultures, and approaches. The combination of American innovation in high-performance computing with European sophistication in statistical theory promises to yield insights neither approach could achieve alone.

As I prepare for this journey, I’m grateful for the support from multiple funding agencies that recognize the value of international collaboration in advancing scientific knowledge.

Stay tuned for updates from Paris! I’ll be sharing insights about the research process, cultural experiences, and hopefully some exciting preliminary results as they develop.

Have questions about international research opportunities, funding applications, or PLN models? Feel free to reach out - I’m always happy to discuss research and collaboration opportunities.