My name is Nicolas Jaccard, I was born in Switzerland , in a small town called Nyon situated between Geneva and Lausanne. I am into research, programming and gaming.

Education

My educational background highlights my interest in interdisciplinary science. I have an extensive experimental biology experience but I am also familiar with computation approaches such as image processing and biological processes modelling.

I am currently a graduate student at University College London, enrolled in a 4-year programme at CoMPLEX (Centre for Mathematics and Physics in Life Sciences and Experimental Biology). Below you will find more information about myself and my educational background. I also have a page dedicated to my current PhD research project.

Modelling Biological Complexity (MRes)

The first year of the CoMPLEX programme consists in a Master of Research (MRes) during which the interface between biology and quantitative sciences (e.g. Mathematics, Physics, Computer Sciences) is explored through lectures and case essays (mini-projects undertaken with two supervisors spanning both biology and quantitative sciences).

The three case essays I worked on are listed here, clicking on their name brings you to a dedicated page where you can find the abstract and a link to download a PDF version of the essay:

1. Synthetic gene network for the efficient generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from adult somatic cells
2. Computational inference of cis-regulatory elements involved in transcriptional regulation of sex-biased gene expression in Drosophila
3. An image-processing tool for the quantitative study of the developing Drosophila retina

My summer project was entitled ‘Non-invasive mouse embryonic stem cells population estimation using machine vision‘. The idea was to develop an image-processing approach to the monitoring of the cell density in adherent cultures, without any interference with the culture itself (dyes, detachement, etc…). You can find the abstract and a link to the report on my summer project page. This project led to my PhD research topic.

I graduated with an MRes in Modelling Biological Complexity (with distinction).

Biotechnology Engineering (BSc)

My main area of interests are quantitative biology and bioprocess engineering. The latter encompasses molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, cell culture (as a loose term including animal cell applications in addition to fermentation processes) and downstream processing. I obtained a BSc in Life Sciences with a major in Biotechnology at the University of Applied Science Western Switzerland in Sion. I was awarded two prizes at the graduation ceremony:

• Best overall results (across all engineering sections)
• Best Biotechnology Diploma Thesis (performed abroad at University College London)

Academic internship

I had the chance to be an intern at the Laboratory of Cellular Biotechnology (part of the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne) for over a year. During that time, I met some very inspiring persons that contributed in the shaping up of my scientific way of thinking. My work there spanned recombinant protein expression in mammalian cells, large-scale culture processes development and optimisation, establishment of stable recombinant cell lines and the development of a machine vision tool for the quantification cell density in suspension applications. Some of these contributions were published:

• Stettler M. et al., “New disposable tubes for rapid and precise biomass assessment for suspension cultures of mammalian cells”, Biotechnol Bioeng, 2006 [PubMed]
• Chenuet S. et al., “Calcium phosphate transfection generates mammalian recombinant cell lines with higher specific productivity than polyfection”, Biotechnol Bioeng, 2008 [PubMed]