Gérard Merlin is a professor emeritus in Chemical Engineering and Energetics at the University of Savoie Mont-Blanc. From agricultural education and an initial interest in the life sciences, Merlin trained as an agronomist and chemist–biochemist specializing in bioenergetics. Merlin's thesis focused on ecotoxicology (experimental and modeling), earning him a PhD from the University of Grenoble I in 1988. Merlin's current research is of guiding principles for bio-energy and bio-conversion transformations. Today, development of microbial fuel cell (MFC) for conversion of chemical energy of biodegradable organic compounds into electrical energy is the main facet of Merlin's research. The optimization of the production of methane through anaerobic digestion is the secondary topic of his research.