Dr. Emmanuelle Bayer is a Principal Investigator and CNRS Research Director (class 1 since 2024, ranked 1st nationally) at the Laboratory of Membrane Biogenesis (LBM) UMR5200, CNRS-University of Bordeaux, France. She is also the Deputy Director of the Bordeaux Imaging Center. Her group investigates how multicellular organization is achieved in plants by studying plasmodesmata, plant-specific intercellular pores that connect neighbor cells. They take a multidisciplinary approach to study how plasmodesmata function, with a focus on their unique membrane organization.
Dr. Bayer earned her PhD in 2005 with Dr. Andy Maule at John Innes Centre, U.K., where she studied plasmodesmata intercellular channels. After a postdoctoral position in Switzerland studying auxin-polarized transport with Dr. Cris Kuhlemeier at the Institute of Plant Sciences in Berne, Dr. Bayer earned a permanent position at CNRS in 2021. Since 2015, she has led her own group at the Laboratory of Membrane Biogenesis in Bordeaux, France. Her current research aims to better understand how membrane lipids and organelle contacts contribute to the function of plasmodesmata and plant cell-to-cell communication.
Dr. Bayer will visit us on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Before her visit, we had a Zoom chat about her research and personal reflections from her scientific career.
What are the big questions that you are pursuing in your lab? How did you land there?
I started working on plasmodesmata during my PhD. That was a long time ago. At that time, little was known about this structure, and everyone was trying to identify the molecules associated with it. Then I moved to Berne to work on another topic. When I applied for an independent position, I revisited this topic and added a focus on lipids, since plasmodesmata are membrane channels, similar to complex membrane pores. Most people in the field were focused on proteins; they hadn't considered elements like lipids, so I brought them back with me when I started the group.
The big question my group is asking now is how these structures function and regulate trafficking. We are using different approaches to look at these structures with a fresh perspective. This is why I like to step outside my field and attend meetings beyond plant science, so I can view my research from different perspectives. I think this is the core of our work in the lab—we use multidisciplinary approaches to understand how the structure can control trafficking. We are also investigating how they are formed and what types of traffic move through them, which we do not yet know. We’ve just started a program to map what’s moving through plasmodesmata!
We use various microscopy techniques relevant to our biological questions and have developed one of the first protocols for expansion microscopy in plants. This is particularly challenging because plant cells are embedded within cell walls, making it difficult to expand these structures.
Where do you see yourself and your lab in ten years?
I have no idea where this research will take me, so I do not know. This is what I like about my job—you never know what you will be working on in 10 years. You never know what opportunities will arise. It is like opening a door and discovering a new room. I could not have planned this. We have followed some directions from our previous research, but many developments have been unexpected. It is important to stay current with developments in the field. For example, viewing plasmodesmata as a membrane contact site resulted from the growth of the membrane contact site field. At a meeting, I realized that our structure was actually a specialized membrane contact site.
Was there any event or person that inspired you to become a scientist? What other career options have you considered in the past?
As an undergrad, I remember a lecture on the nuclear pore that fascinated me. I really liked cell biology because that’s where we were starting to understand how they work, and everything under that stuck in my mind. But then, I attended an engineering school. After two years at the university, I realized I didn’t like it. In engineering, you have a set goal, like making a molecule, and must follow a specific path, but in research, you can choose your own direction. So I went to engineering school and found that I didn’t like it. Afterward, I did my PhD at the University of East Anglia in the UK, and it felt almost like a special treat for me. Of course, I was working hard, but it felt like a holiday. Doing something you enjoy is like a treat. Then I did a postdoc, and I was lucky enough to be able to apply for a position. I entered research by knowing what I didn't want to do, and I realized what I want to do and where I fit best. We are fortunate to be able to explore, and we don’t have many barriers. Of course, we need to perform, but there is a lot of space and freedom in what we do and how we do it. I also really like my colleagues. The research field is always renewing and exciting.
Science is full of challenges and setbacks. Can you share a moment in your career when things didn’t go as planned and how you navigated it? Do you have tips for people who are experiencing a “frustrating time”?
Yes, of course. I think when I got my permanent position back in France, before I established my own group, it was very difficult because getting funding was extremely challenging. It probably took me four years to really establish my own group. So, it was a very, very frustrating time.
As for tips, I would say it is important to know when not to give up, like to keep pushing everything, but also, sometimes, you must drop and try something else. This is really a balance of being persistent and knowing when to drop. Being flexible, trying many different things, but at the same time knowing when something works, you have to focus on this and go for it.
What are the outside-science activities or hobbies that you pursue?
I enjoy sports. I swim, bake a little, and cycle often. I also do ceramics, which I started a few years ago. Apart from that, I have always liked crafting and creative activities. Now, ceramics keep my mind and hands busy, while my work mostly engages my brain. I appreciate the balance between the two, and there is creativity in both. That is important.
What advice would you give to PhD students and postdocs?
I would say that when picking a topic or doing research, any topic can be exciting. For example, you may prefer cell biology over omics. You should follow your interests.
The environment you will work in is crucial. So, always make sure you join a lab or team that is supportive and has a good atmosphere. And the same when you apply for a permanent position. For me, the work environment is very important, and a supportive environment is how you do good science without too much pressure. In this way, you can focus on seeing what’s going on instead of performing.
Information on Dr. Emmanuelle Bayer’s research can be found at:
Lab website: https://www.bayeremmanuelle.com/
Bluesky: @emmanuellebayer.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Emmanuelle bayer