Laura Huguenin, Head of Marine Biology and Co-founder of Cosma, Scientific Diver
A graduate of a Master’s degree in Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics (DYNEA) and a PhD in Environmental Ecology and Chemistry from UPPA, Laura Huguenin is the co-founder of Cosma, an innovative start-up specialising in large-scale seabed mapping using autonomous underwater drones and AI. She carries out this work in the service of marine biodiversity, which she also contributes to protecting as a scientific diver.
What were the key stages of your university career?
I spent my first eighteen years in Strasbourg. Every summer, I went on holiday to Corsica and was fascinated by the biodiversity of the seabed. I chose a science-focused baccalaureate because I was interested in biology, physics and chemistry, and mathematics. I wanted to combine a multidisciplinary scientific education with, if possible, living by the sea. The oceanography degree in Marseille met all these criteria. I then went to England through the Erasmus programme to study for a Bachelor’s degree in oceanography. For personal reasons, I moved to south-western France to join the Master’s degree in Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics (DYNEA) in Anglet, where I trained in statistical analysis applied to all aquatic environments. I chose to continue with a jointly supervised PhD, supervised by IPREM (UPPA) and the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, during which I acquired dual expertise in environmental chemistry and benthic ecology. It was also during my PhD that I obtained my scientific diving certifications.
How did you build your professional career?
I had a particular passion for the deep sea and bioluminescence. The DYNEA Master’s degree allowed me to turn this passion into practice through two internships, including one focused on developing a monitoring protocol adapted to the rocky intertidal zone of the Basque Coast. This project, supervised by UPPA and Ifremer, gave me the opportunity to specialise in benthos (all the organisms living close to the seabed in the ocean). I then deepened this specialisation throughout my PhD, which focused on studying the impact of wastewater treatment plants on the Basque Coast on the fauna and flora of rocky substrates in both intertidal and subtidal areas. After completing my PhD, I joined an environmental consultancy in Brittany (TBM), where I carried out a large number of environmental impact studies and benthic habitat mapping projects. I was then recruited as an Environmental Project Officer and manager of a protected marine area (Natura 2000) within the Coastal and Natural Environments Department of the Basque Country Urban Community. At the same time, I set up my own business (Benthos 64) to continue carrying out scientific assignments, particularly underwater diving missions. It was while obtaining my professional boat licence that I met Frédéric Mittaine, now CEO of Cosma. This meeting contributed to the creation of La Compagnie d’Observation Sous-Marine (Cosma), combining my scientific expertise in the environment with his innovative idea of developing a seabed mapping technology based on swarms of small autonomous underwater drones.
How has Cosma developed since its creation in 2022?
In 2022, Cosma won the Octo'pousse competition, Ifremer’s national innovation competition. As a result, our start-up benefited from Ifremer’s technical and scientific support and was hosted by Ifremer’s underwater robotics laboratory in La Seyne-sur-Mer for two years of research and development. Our team is made up of multidisciplinary and complementary experts in underwater robotics, marine operations, data collection, data science, artificial intelligence and marine biology. We aim to pave the way for innovative, scalable solutions for mapping, characterising and monitoring the seabed for environmental and underwater geophysical studies, while limiting operational costs and the impact on biodiversity. Our solution can also be used to monitor critical underwater infrastructure and secure sites by detecting unexploded ordnance, for example (UXO). After these two years of research and development supported by Ifremer and CNRS, we completed our first commercial project in April 2024. We deploy small underwater drones weighing 25 kg and measuring less than one metre, each equipped with sensors, across large areas of seabed. These drones are now designed by our team and can collect a wide variety of data: optical, sonar and magnetometric data, providing comprehensive seabed mapping. In 2025, we completed our first offshore project: a high-resolution imaging campaign at the site of the future Pennavel floating offshore wind farm in southern Brittany, and secured our first €2.5 million funding round. A second funding round subsequently consolidated this momentum.
What connection do you maintain with UPPA today?
I have maintained very good relations with UPPA and Ifremer, with whom I occasionally exchange ideas to compare our respective areas of expertise, field experience and developments in our sector.
What advice would you give to a student at the beginning of their studies? And to one nearing the end of their studies?
I would advise them not to become discouraged, as this is a niche sector that I was told offered few career opportunities. But if they are strongly motivated, they should see it through to the end, while remaining open to as many opportunities as possible, staying curious, meeting professionals and completing as many internships as possible. The breadth of their experience is what makes their profile distinctive and strong. Towards the end of their studies, the profiles that often stand out are those who are geographically mobile, cultivate human connections and maintain the professional network they have built throughout their studies, particularly through their internships.
Interview by Séverine Cuesta
Find out more?
Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics programme
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