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Sarah HUET, PhD

Agri-food Ecology & Economics

Early career researcher bridging ecology and economics, with a hands-on practice background,
to study, model, and leverage the transition of food systems.

✉ sarah.huet@inrae.fr 🌐 sarah-huet.github.io 🔗 ORCID ⌨ github.com/sarah-huet ⌨ LinkedIn
Key Capabilities & Achievements
  • Interdisciplinary Agri-Food Economist & Ecologist: Unique trajectory from hands-on practitioner to quantitative scientist, bridging the gap between environmental science and agricultural economics.
  • Pathfinder in Large-Scale Agri-Environmental Assessment: Developer of the FADN2Footprint R package and the BVIAS model, translating European farm accountancy (FADN) and spatial (LPIS) data into environmental footprints.
  • Demonstrated Policy Impact & Stakeholder Engagement: Appointed to an expert group for two French ministries, invited to present at DG Agri on FADN/FSDN, and at several policy-maker and stakeholder meetings.
  • Strong Academic Communicator: Proven track record of high-impact scientific writing (5 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals) and delivering presentations at international congresses as well as internal seminars in other labs.
Professional Experience
Post-doc in Agri-food Economics
CESAER lab, INRAE, Institut Agro, France
PI: Valentin BELLASSEN
2023 – Present
→ Inferring agricultural practices and computing environmental footprint from FADN

Developed the BVIAS model (Biodiversity Value Increment from Agricultural Statistics), which estimates the biodiversity impact of food products from accountancy data and public statistics, calibrated on in situ data from the literature. Applied matching procedures on >5,500 French farms to compare Food Quality Schemes to conventional counterparts, showing that product-type differences outweigh quality-scheme effects.

Currently validating the FADN2Footprint R package, a life-cycle-assessment-inspired tool that infers farm practices from the Farm Accountancy Data Network and public statistics, and computes multi-criteria footprints at farm, activity and product scales:

  • Environmental: GHG emissions, Biodiversity Impact, Water Pollution.
  • Economic: Price premium, Net Return of Assets, Net Return of Land, Operating margin.
  • Social: Employment, Wage level, Net revenue per unsalaried working unit.
PhD in Microbial Ecology
Agroecology department, Univ. of Bourgogne France-Comté, France
PI: Laurent PHILIPPOT
2019 – 2022
→ Deciphering Biotic Interactions and their role in Soil Microbial Community Assembly and Functions
Using an innovative experimental approach and a range of statistical techniques (linear, generalized linear and mixed models, multivariate analysis, network inference, and multi-dataset integration), we causally infer the specific effects of biotic interactions, spatial distancing and community characteristics on both microbial community assembly and functions. Our approach could become a standard tool to test ecological theories and to design new microbial engineering strategies.
Internships in Bio-informatics
Univ. of Nantes & Univ. of Angers, France
PIs: Lucie POULAIN, Matthieu BARRET
2018 – 2019
  • 2019: Host-parasite-microbiome interaction analysis (P. ramosa).
  • 2018: Bio-informatic meta-analysis of seed microbial communities.
Nutrition, Cooking & Farming
Paris, Loire Valley, Alps, Bordeaux area – France
2007 – 2017
  • 2013–2017: Nutritionist intern in public catering, clinics, and hospitals. Liberal practitioner.
  • 2010–2013: Cook in traditional and bistronomic French restaurants.
  • 2007–2010: Cultivator & Merchant in vineyard, orchard, greenhouse.
Education
PhD in Population Biology and Ecology
University of Bourgogne France-Comté
2023
M.S. in Plant Biology
University of Angers
2019
B.S. in Crop Production
University of Angers
2017
B.S. in Human Nutrition & Dietetics
ICOGES School in Angers
2015
Professional Certificate of French Cook
Lycée Hotellier de Fontiville
2011
Peer-reviewed Articles
Books & Reports
Policy Engagement

🎤 Talks & Presentations

March 2026 Stakeholder — Outreach

Donnars C., Sirami C., Huet S.

Impacts of Food Quality Schemes on Biodiversity.

FedeLIS General Assembly, FedeLIS (FQS Federation), Paris

Dec 2025 Internal Seminar

Huet S.

Presentation of the FADN2Footprint R package.

ODR Tech Coffee Seminar, Observatoire du Développement Rural, INRAE Toulouse

Nov 2025 Policy — Working Group

Bellassen V., Huet S.

FADN2Footprint: translating farm accountancy data into environmental footprints.

FSDN Working Group on emissions, DG Agri, European Commission, Brussels

Nov 2025 Stakeholder — Outreach

Sirami S., Huet S.

Food labels' contribution to biodiversity.

ODR & INAO Joint Webinar, co-organised by the Observatoire du Développement Rural and INAO ▶ Watch recording

Oct 2025 Stakeholder — Outreach

Huet S.

Food labels and biodiversity: what does the science say?

Les Shifters NGO, Local group meeting, Dijon

Apr 2025 Colloquium — Oral

Sirami S., Bockstaller C., Huet S.

Approaches to quantify the impact of agricultural products on biodiversity.

BiodivLabel Restitution Colloquium, Paris — Oral presentation 🔗 Event page

Nov 2024 Seminar

Huet S.

BVIAS: Biodiversity Footprinting of Agricultural Products.

INRAE Seminar on Biodiversity Indicators and Public Action, Paris

Nov 2024 Policy — Working Group

Huet S.

BVIAS: Biodiversity Footprinting of Agricultural Products.

ADEME, presented to the team in charge of environmental labelling of food products, Angers

Nov 2024 Internal Seminar

Huet S.

BVIAS: Biodiversity Footprinting of Agricultural Products.

Dynafor Team Seminar, INRAE Toulouse ▶ Watch recording

Jun 2024 Policy — Lecture

Huet S.

Food labels and biodiversity: scientific evidence for policy.

Le Lierre NGO of senior public servants, Local group meeting, Dijon

Jun 2024 Policy — Audition

Huet S.

Food labels and biodiversity: scientific evidence for territorial policy.

Audition by the Development Council of Dijon Métropole on food labelling

Apr 2024 Policy — Lecture

Huet S.

Biodiversity and food labels: scientific foundations.

French Civil Service Training, training session for senior French civil servants on biodiversity and food labels

Aug 2022 Symposium — Poster

Huet S.

Experimental community coalescence sheds light on microbial interactions in soil and restores impaired functions.

18th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Lausanne, Switzerland

Nov 2021 Symposium — Oral

Huet S.

Experimental community coalescence sheds light on microbial interactions in soil and restores impaired functions.

10th Symposium of the Microbial Ecology Francophone Association, Online

Additional Mandates
References
Valentin BELLASSEN
Research Director
valentin.bellassen@inrae.fr
+33 380 772 791
Laurent PHILIPPOT
Research Director
laurent.philippot@inrae.fr
+33 380 693 346