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Michèle Tixier-Boichard, Director of Research, began her research on the quantitative genetics of the laying hen in Jouy-en-Josas, then on the molecular genetics of feather coloration, and later broadened her approach to the characterization of animal genetic resources. After launching the CRB-Anim infrastructure on animal genetic resources, she is currently coordinating the RARe infrastructure and leading the platforms team of the Animal Genetics and Integrative Biology unit (INRAE Île-de-France-Jouy-en-Josas-Antony). She works at the national and international level to collect, characterize, conserve and distribute biological resources useful for agronomic research and knowledge of biodiversity.

Genetic resources are an indispensable heritage for advancing research and enabling us to meet the major challenges of tomorrow. Food, both in quantity and quality, energy, transport, climate change, health, biomaterials... The stakes are high. "In the future, we may need certain breeds of animals, strains of micro-organisms or varieties of plants, which is why genetic resources are essential. These allow, among other things, to support the breeding and agriculture of today and tomorrow, but also to participate in the maintenance of biodiversity." The RARe (Ressources Agronomiques pour la Recherche) research infrastructure is a national, distributed, multi-agency infrastructure that aims to preserve and characterize biological and genetic resources of animal, plant, microbial species, and the environment, to contribute to the evolution of agricultural systems in response to global changes.