Jean-Luc Gattolliat
Beginning in 1988, Jean-Luc Gattolliat studied biology at the University of Lausanne, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1993. He then completed a thesis at the Museum of Zoology, under the supervision of Michel Sartori, focusing on the aquatic fauna of the canals in the Grangettes Reserve (Vaud). After 1994, he turned to teaching and earned his secondary school teaching certificate in 1996. He then left for Madagascar to join a Franco-Malagasy research institute, where he trained in fieldwork and species description (1996–1997).
Upon his return to Lausanne, he began a dissertation on Malagasy Baetidae while working as a doctoral assistant and coordinating the museum’s film series. He defended his dissertation in 2002 and became a research fellow at the museum that same year. He then expanded his research to include Beetidae from Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula, undertaking fieldwork in Madagascar, Borneo, Saudi Arabia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Israel. Alongside his research activities, he contributed to various museum exhibitions and events, including Aqualogue (2015–2016).
Since 2017, he has taught aquatic bioindication at UNIL. Active in scientific societies, he served as editor of the Swiss Entomological Society’s bulletin (2005–2015) and as its president (2011–2013). In 2020, he became curator of the liquid-preserved invertebrate collections, which he has helped to preserve, digitize, and promote.
A world-renowned specialist in Baetidae, he collaborates with numerous international researchers. By 2025, he had published more than 170 papers and described 250 new species and 18 new genera, making him one of the most prolific taxonomists of Ephemeroptera. He adopts an integrative approach combining morphology, genetics, biogeography, and ecology. He contributes to the development of barcoding databases for mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies in Switzerland and Europe, and shares his knowledge through regional identification keys.