PhD in Sciences of the Marine Environment, 2006, Centre of Oceanology of Marseilles, University of the Mediterranean (Aix-Marseille II), France. Dissertation title : Numerical modeling of the circulation in the Bay of Marseilles, application to the project Artificial Reef Prado (deployment of artificial reef in the Bay of Marseilles)

The pdf of the dissertation can be found on the Centre of Oceanology of Marseilles website : http://www.com.univ-mrs.fr/LOB/ecrire/memoire-Pradal.pdf

Certificate in Pollution of Aquatic Environments, 2002, University of the Mediterranean (Aix-Marseille II), France

M.S. Sciences of the Marine Environment, Major in Physical and Coastal Oceanography, 2001, Centre of Oceanology of Marseilles, University of the Mediterranean (Aix-Marseille II), France

MS dissertation : Depth inversion algorithms - application to remote sensing of the shoaling waves. Advisor : Pr Stéphan Grilli - University of Rhode Island

B.A. Sciences of the Earth and the Universe, 1999, University of the Mediterranean (Aix-Marseille II), France

The research of Dr Pradal has mostly focused on the numerical modeling of the hydrodynamics in coastal waters.

She has worked under Dr Grilli’s supervision on inverse modeling. Dr Grilli’s work on depth inversion resulted in new depth inversion algorithm (DIA) and in an algorithm of ocean surfaces pictures.

In 2002, Dr Pradal was granted a French Ph.D. fellowship to work on the largest French program on artificial reef deployment. The aim of her Ph.D. research was to model the hydrodynamics in the Bay and then to model the trajectories of eggs and larvae (biological non swimming particles) produced at the vicinity of the artificial reefs as well as on the reefs themselves. This study involved numerical computations of the existing, widely used and validated 3D Princeton Ocean Model (POM), the development of a lagrangian particle tracking routine and the post processing of the results in a GIS software. The results of her study were freely given to the City of Marseilles and have since been published and widely distributed to the users of the Bay (government agencies, public libraries, research teams and fishermen).

Dr Pradal is also collaborating with marine biologists (Dr Pierre Chevaldonne and Dr Christophe Lejeusne) interested in the potential role the hydrodynamics might play on the observed genetics differentiation of Mysidacae population in the Bay of Marseilles.

Member : Union des Oceanographes de France