Tâm Mignot is a research director at the CNRS. Since 2006, he has led a team at the Laboratory of Bacterial Chemistry, which he also directed from 2018 to 2026. His work aims to understand how molecular mechanisms—studied at the single-cell level—enable the emergence of complex collective behaviors in bacteria. In particular, his team has developed models describing how predatory bacteria detect their prey, kill them through direct contact, and then feed on them. More recently, his research has focused on the ecological role of these bacteria in soils, where they are ubiquitous. The results suggest that they play a key role in regulating microbial communities. The team is currently developing experimental systems to reconstruct these communities in the laboratory and study predator–prey interactions under conditions similar to their natural environment, with implications for agriculture and soil restoration. His research is interdisciplinary, at the intersection of molecular biology, biophysics, and ecology. A member of the French Academy of Sciences and the European Academy of Microbiology, he has received several honors, including the CNRS Bronze and Silver Medals, as well as grants from the European Research Council (ERC Starting and Advanced Grants).
