Rate My Professor Alexis Jourdain

Alexis Jourdain received his PhD in 2013 from the University of Geneva for his work on mitochondrial gene expression and mitochondrial RNA granules under the supervision of Prof. Jean-Claude Martinou, as a fellow of the Roche Research Foundation. In 2015, he joined the laboratory of Prof. Vamsi Mootha at the Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. During his postdoctoral training as a fellow of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), he used systems biology approaches to discover nuclear genes involved in energy metabolism, including genes encoding mitochondrial and pre-mRNA splicing subunits. In spring 2021, Alexis joined the Department of Immunobiology (formerly Biochemistry) at the University of Lausanne as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. Since 2026, he has been an EMBO Young Investigator.

The Jourdain laboratory focuses on understanding how cells tune gene expression in response to nutrient levels and metabolic needs, with specific emphasis on mitochondria and energy metabolism in the contexts of cellular differentiation, immunity and metabolic disorders. Research employs large-scale systems approaches such as genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening, metabolomics and quantitative proteomics, alongside biochemistry and cell biology techniques, to inventory genes and regulatory networks supporting energy metabolism and to characterize mitochondrial RNA granules. The work also examines metabolic shifts in pathologies including mitochondrial disorders, cancers and immune-related conditions. Jourdain is affiliated with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at the University of Lausanne.