History
In January 2001, there was a merger between the Laboratoire d’Océanographie Biologique et Ecologie du Plancton Marin (LOBEPM) and the Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie Marines (LPCM – Villefranche), in accordance with a recommendation from UPMC of CNRS following the separation of the Parisian and Villefranchois components of LPCM.

The resulting institution is known as the “Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche” (LOV). This organization comprises 5 research teams consisting of approximately 30 scientists from a variety of disciplines in oceanography: biology, biogeochemistry, geochemistry, and physics. LOV is world-renowned for oceanographic research and its scientists are involved in programs at the national, European and international level.

Many collaborations had already existed amongst researchers from LOBEPM and LPCM-Villefranche in the form of various national, European and international programs. These collaborations remained relevant to the exploration of oceanography due to its highly multidisciplinary nature. The aim of oceanography is to understand the functioning of the marine environment, hence necessitating a concerted effort from researchers from various sub-disciplines of oceanography, including biologists, chemists, physicists, geochemists, and biogeochemists.

LOV brings together specialists from all domains of oceanography, thus encouraging collaboration to the benefit of our teaching and research initiatives.