Mounia Lagha

I am researcher in Developmental Biology and my main interest is how gene expression is precisely established during embryogenesis. My initial training was on mouse myogenesis (PhD obtained in 2008 at the Pasteur Institute in Paris under the supervision of Pr M.Buckingham and F.Relaix). For my post-doc, in order to obtain more mechanistic insights, I changed model organism and studied transcriptional regulation during Drosophila development at UC Berkeley in the lab of Pr M.Levine (2010-2014). My postdoctoral work revealed the importance of paused polymerase for the coordination of cell fate decisions during gastrulation. Since 2015, I am directing a group at IGMM in Montpellier (www.laghalab.com) where we study mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in living Drosophila embryos. Our current research focuses on the role of promoters and enhancers on the dynamic aspects of transcription (transcriptional synchrony, bursting and memory). Recently we started also investigating translational control during early development. We use a variety of approaches ranging from classical genetics, molecular biology to quantitative live imaging and biophysical techniques. We constantly collaborate with physicists and mathematicians to develop theoretical frameworks for a better understanding of our quantitative biological data.