A tribute to Myriam Sibuet by the deep-sea lab at Ifremer
Myriam Sibuet passed away on 26th July. She was 76.
Myriam was born far from the sea but felt the call of the sea during studentships when she was studying Natural Science in Strasbourg. In 1969, after she graduated, she was hired by Lucien Laubier to join a nascent research team on abyssal ecology in Brest. While Lucien Laubier tried to initiate her to the taxonomy of polychaetes, she rather decided to focus on echinoderms. A long learning process for Myriam who was so meticulous. It took her ten years to become a good taxonomist she said. But Myriam couldn’t stop learning and once a good taxonomist she soon turned her interest to ecology. Meanwhile she was always pushing for methodological improvements and technological innovations from beam trawl to submersibles. Myriam first dived in a submersible in 1976 during a technical test of Cyana, and she later contributed to the specifications of the submersible Nautile and the ROV Victor 6000.
Myriam was open minded and eager for collaborations. Pluridisciplinarity and international relations have always been very important for her. She soon joined international research projects, and in 1988 she organised the 5th Deep Sea Biology Symposium at Ifremer in Brest. Towards the end of the 80’s, the discovery of cold seeps on continental margins has been a turning point in her career. She will be among the pioneers studying these new ecosystems. She then realized that the deep sea is much more heterogeneous that previously thought and at a variety of spatial scales. A theme that she will put forward and that will became a leitmotiv for her involvement in the the Census of Marine Life.
Myriam has also been among the pioneering women in Science. She led numerous cruises and led the deep-sea lab at Ifremer for years. In 2002 Myriam was awarded the insignia of Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, in particular for her efforts to demonstrate the relationship between deep-sea assemblages and their physical and chemical environment. For the two last years of her career at Ifremer she was seated right next to the CEO as scientific and technical adviser. While retiring from Ifremer, Myriam was as passionate as ever by deep-sea science and immediately became involved in the Census of Marine Life as a member of the Steering Committee and as the lead of the COMARGE project.
Myriam has been instrumental for the development of deep-sea science, in France and beyond. She was an example who marked us with her curiosity, her dynamism, her team spirit and her humanity. She has been as inspired by all the scientists she met, as she has been inspiring for generations of scientists. Myriam loved to share and pass on her knowledge; she has been of great support to many of us. During the past years, with no more student to accompany on the path of science, she shared her passions to her grandchildren. She will be much missed.
From DSL19
