Stéphane Hourdez is a researcher at the Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France. He is based at the Banyuls Oceanographic Observatory in Southern France. He has received his PhD in 2000 from the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France. After a 3-year post-doctoral stay at the Pennsylvania State University (USA), he was hired by CNRS at the Roscoff Marine Laboratory (France) where he stayed for 15 years before moving to Banyuls. His research is focused on the biology and ecology of organisms from extreme environments, including deep-sea hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, Antarctica, and the intertidal. His work comprises studies on the connectivity of marine invertebrates, and the evolution of adaptations of invertebrates to these challenging habitats. He is also a taxonomic expert working on polychaetes (segmented worms), for which he is a correspondent for the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France. Hourdez conducted his deep-sea research on the Eastern and Western Pacific, as well as the Atlantic, using manned submersibles and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). He has participated in 48 research expeditions and cruises around the world and has served as chief scientist on some of these.
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