Hey, my name is César Leblanc, I am 27 years old, and I am currently a CNRS postdoctoral researcher at the Modeling Biodiversity Laboratory of the Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS) in Paris, France. I have been working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biodiversity modeling for years now, since my Master at École polytechnique and my PhD at Inria and University of Montpellier within the Pl@ntNet team. I am also a promoter of reproducible research and open science.
- 🔭 I’m currently working on GeoPl@ntNet, a tool aiming at mapping all European plant species (over 10,000 organisms), habitat types (over 250 ecosystems), and biodiversity indicators (over 10 variables) at very-high resolution
- 🌱 I’m currently learning how deep learning can help us advance our comprehension in biodiversity modeling, community ecology, and conservation biology in order to guide researchers and practitioners
- 👯 I’m looking to connect with other young researchers (e.g., MSc interns, PhD students, postdoctoral fellows) from my field to discuss about scientific ideas and collaboration opportunities, as well as to engage in conversations about other non work-related topics
- 🤔 I’m looking for help with finding a postdoctoral position in France or abroad (e.g., Italy, Spain, Germany) starting from 01/2027 where I could use my AI skills to investigate biodiversity (e.g., the impacts of global change, the potential distribution of species/habitats, how and why plants coexist together)
- 💬 Ask me about anything, among others Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Computer vision, Natural Language Processing, Transformer), Programming languages (Python, R, Java), Biodiversity and conservation (Community Ecology, Macroecology and Biogeography, Species Interactions, Habitat Mapping, Citizen Science and Remote Sensing), Data (Manipulation, Analysis, Visualization), and Mathematics (Algebra, Calculus, Probability and Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, Optimization)
- 📫 How to reach me: phd.cesar.leblanc@gmail.com
- 😄 Pronouns: he/him
- ⚡ Fun fact: if you're trying to map the distribution of vascular plant species and your model reaches very high numbers around my house, don't worry, it's not a bug
- ❤️ Sponsor: are you considering supporting my projects by donating to me? Please do not! Palestine is currently suffering one of the most devastating genocides, and your help will be immensely valuable for the people who are affected by this tragedy. Please visit this link and make a small donation to help the people in need. It goes a long way.
- 👍 Also a cinema, chess, boxing, piano and running fan
If you're interested in my publications, talks, teachings, CV, and so much more, you can access my website here.
- GeoPl@ntNet is a web application in the form of EU-wide interactive maps making Essential Biodiversity Variables easily accessible and understandable for everyone
- Pl@ntBERT is a tool leveraging large language models to learn the "syntax" of species assemblages
- hdm-framework is a classification framework to enhance your habitat distribution models
- malpolon is a deep learning framework to help you build your species distribution models
- GeoLifeCLEF is a toolkit (e.g., examples, dataloaders) for the GeoLifeCLEF challenge