ELI member of the week: Margaux Darja

Every week, discover a new profile of a member of the Earth and Life Institute. This week, meet Margaux Darja, PhD candidate in ELI-V and teaching assistant at the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Could you briefly introduce yourself, your role, and the work you do in ELI?

My name is Margaux Darja. I’m a teaching assistant at the School of Veterinary Medicine, where I mainly run the practical sessions in anatomy and embryology, which are the students’ favourite courses! 

Alongside this, I’m doing a PhD at the Earth and Life Institute (ELI), in the ELI-V Biodiversity & Conservation division.

Could you tell us a little about your research team and your research topics?

In ELI-V, we study evolutionary processes and how species function within their environment. Our research topics are very diverse. They cover single-celled organisms and invertebrates, from butterflies to aphids, as well as vertebrates ranging from primates to lizards and birds. 

My PhD is co-supervised by Professors Hans Van Dyck and Ruben Evens, and focuses on nutritional ecology. That means studying how organisms acquire, process and use food resources in their environment, in this case in a predator-prey context. My study models are moths and the European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), a crepuscular bird whose conservation status is of concern. 

Since the start of this academic year, I have also been a CORSCI representative on the SST Sector board, a role I share with Alexandra Spinel. Through this position, I hope to improve communication between the university’s scientific staff, the researchers in our sector and the academic authorities, so that their interests are properly represented.

What was your path before taking up your current post in ELI?

I did my bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine in Louvain-la-Neuve from 2016 to 2019. I then did my master’s at the University of Liège and graduated in 2022. 

After that, I worked as a veterinarian in France for two years in small-animal practice. That meant dogs, cats, rodents, birds and pretty much every quirky animal people decide to keep as a pet.

Little by little, between consultations and surgeries, I became more and more interested in wildlife and the environment. In 2024, I took the opportunity to move into research, specifically ecology, while still passing on my veterinary skills through my teaching assistant position. 

In practical terms, what is your day-to-day life like?

A typical day… I’m not sure I have one! No two days are the same. 

In a single week, I can wear many different hats. I might teach anatomy to 60 students, organise a conference one day and attend one the next, plan a team-building event for 120 students, learn entomology, visit museum collections for various projects, perform necropsies, prepare the practical sessions and their equipment, or go out into the field at night to collect data. I’m learning and doing new things every single day! 

So if I had to sum up my daily life, which turns out to be a lot like my former life as a vet, I’d say it’s about preparing every day for the unexpected!

Do you have a hobby, a passion, a hidden talent, something you enjoy doing or care deeply about outside of work?

I discover a new passion every day... I read a lot, and a bit of everything. I recently took up watercolour painting and found how satisfying it is to put what’s in my head onto paper, even if it doesn’t always turn out quite as I imagined. 

I try to run whenever I have time and to do one marathon a year, although I haven’t picked my 2027 race yet. 

Otherwise, for the past three years, I’ve spent most of my weekends renovating a 19th-century farmhouse with my partner, doing all the work ourselves.

My real passion, though, is enjoying a simple life in the countryside, surrounded by my animals, my family and a good wood fire. 

Can you name one thing you particularly appreciate at the Earth and Life Institute?

The interdisciplinary spirit within the institute, which leads to really great collaborations between the different divisions. And the friendly atmosphere, thanks to the many activities that are organised.