France Champenois is currently a PhD researcher at the School of Earth Sciences (UWA). Previous to commencing her doctoral degree, France obtained a Master of Science in Geology (Geodynamics & Geofluids) at the KULeuven (Belgium) and a Master in Petroleum Geosciences at IFP School (France).

She recently submitted her PhD on the role and environmental significance of microbial communities in the construction of Cryogenian and Late Devonian carbonate reef complexes in Australian basins. Her PhD focuses on multi-scale characterisation of microbial contributions to reef complex development to elucidate spatial and temporal distribution of calcimicrobes and microbialites as well as their environmental significance through the examination of paleoecological factors influencing microbial forms and consortia, microbial colonisation of substrates, and sedimentological and diagenetic processes involved with microbial development and preservation.

Her goal is to provide a novel multiscale approach for investigating paleoecological relationships between microbial communities and their environment, microbially-induced mineralisation, and processes inherent in long-term preservation of microbial textures and relics with an application in Earth’s early life studies and extraterrestrial life search strategies.