Deborah W. E. Dupont

Deborah W. E. Dupont is an early career marine biologist and molecular ecologist dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity. With a keen interest in studying threatened ecosystems and species, her research focuses on understanding key indicator species, migrating and endemic fauna, and extreme ecosystems such as the deep-sea and polar regions.

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Function

Currently, Deborah works as a marine biologist and molecular ecologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS). In this role, she focuses on biodiversity and evolution research, with a specific emphasis on environmental DNA and classic molecular ecology of marine fauna. Her projects involve studying marine ecosystems in the Belgian Part of the North Sea and coastal habitats in the Western Antarctic Peninsula and abyssal deep-sea environments.

Research team: Aquatic & Terrestrial Ecology (ATECO) 
Research theme: Science for a sustainable marine management

Current Project(s)

TANGO - Estimating Tipping points in habitability of ANtarctic benthic ecOsystems under future GlObal climate change scenarios
Deborah is responsible for the DNA Barcoding work within Workpackage 1 Task 1.1 Identification of key organisms with integrative taxonomy (classic taxonomy & DNA barcoding). 

Area of Expertise

Deborah has expertise in various research methodologies and constantly fine-tuning. It includes marine eDNA sampling, extraction, and metabarcoding analysis, as well as classic DNA barcoding and analysis of genetic material. Her research interests span marine (coastal and deep-sea) to temperate lake biology and ecology.

Professional Experience

Deborah's professional journey includes various research positions and internships that have enriched her understanding of marine ecosystems. Prior to her current role, she completed her Master of Science thesis on the genetic diversity and connectivity of abyssal amphipods as part of the EU JPI Oceans Mining Impact Project. She has also worked as a Lake Ecologist in Sweden, conducting experimental projects to monitor boreal lake ecology. Additionally, she has contributed to research on freshwater fish migration in New Zealand and glass eel migration in the Netherlands.

Publication highlights

Deborah recently published her 1^st first-authorship co-authored research paper titled "Evidence for a single population expansion event across 24,000 km: the case of the deep-sea scavenging amphipod Abyssorchomene distinctus," in the journal Hydrobiologia (2024). This publication highlights her ongoing contributions to advancing our understanding of marine biodiversity and evolution.