Kafia holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Université Paris-Est Créteil, and pursued her scientific career by joining Sorbonne Université for a master's degree in chemistry. During her two-year Master's course, she chose to specialize in molecular chemistry, a field at the interface between chemistry and biology. This training, combining structural, mechanistic and biochemical concepts, gives her an in-depth understanding of molecular processes and reinforces her interest in fundamental research.
This interdisciplinary approach is a major asset for the thesis she is currently carrying out at the Collège de France, in the Chemistry of Biological Processes Laboratory. Begun in October 2025 under the supervision of Marc Fontecave, this thesis focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of prephenate derivatives with the aim of inhibiting the anaerobic biosynthesis of ubiquinone. It develops experimental approaches to organic synthesis and structural analysis adapted to the study of this metabolic pathway.
