Charlie BassetIndependent scientific expert · Project consultantGard, France · International projects
Support for scientific decision-makersExecutives, R&D leaders and programme leads.
A complete view of the projectScience, resources, partners and budget.
Advice you can put to workFocused assignments or regular part-time support.
ADVICE FOR PROJECT LEADS AND R&D DIRECTORS
From project design to evaluation.
When can an independent view help? At each of these three stages, there are decisions to make and specific tasks I can take on.
01 PROJECT DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY
Is your project viable?
You are considering an R&D programme, a new platform or a way to make better use of a resource. Before bringing in partners or committing a budget, you need to know what is feasible.
What I do
I review the objective against the available evidence, identify what needs checking, then define the work, resources, milestones and estimated budget.
What you receive
A feasibility study or scoping brief, a work plan and, where needed, the scientific and technical section of a funding application.
Test results change the picture, a purchase is coming up or several approaches remain possible. Your team needs to decide where to focus its resources.
What I do
I take part in project reviews, examine the results and work with your team to evaluate methods, equipment or service providers.
What you receive
Decision briefs, a specification if needed and an updated roadmap. I can provide one-off or regular support, one to two days per week.
From individual processes to scientific platforms, these cases show how I assess the coherence of a project and help shape its development choices. They draw on consulting assignments, R&D studies and responsibilities in industry.
UNIVERSITY OF LA RÉUNIONFeasibility · Platform
Feasibility and sizing of a natural products platform.
TrétZerbaj combines a library of natural extracts with a biological screening platform. Developing both requires aligning research objectives with technical capacity.
What I did
I reviewed the chemistry workstream, covering how the extraction and characterisation steps fit together, existing capacity, bottlenecks and the equipment and skills needed.
How it informed the decision
A technical section in the feasibility report documenting sizing options and priorities for developing the platform.
Assignment scope and division of expertise
Consulting assignment for the University of La Réunion in 2025. I led the chemistry workstream, alongside Pierre W. Johnson, who focused on organising the sector. The scenarios are recommendations for development.
France's Court of Accounts lists €1.7 million for TrétZerbaj among the projects funded by France 2030.
Scientific support for changing an analytical method.
The laboratory wanted to replace a titration method with instrumental carbon measurement while retaining comparability with its historical reference data.
What I did
I designed the transition study and the validation and comparison protocols, then statistically assessed the laboratory's results.
How it informed the decision
A validation dossier for the range studied, supplementary work on detection and quantification limits, and an analysis of how the two methods compare and with what uncertainty.
Assignment scope
Consulting assignment documented in 2020–2021. The laboratory team ran the experiments. I designed the study, analysed the results and documented validation. Subsequent operational follow-up was proposed separately.
DÉINOVEAudit · Biotechnology
Platform audit and R&D investment scenarios.
A shift in research priorities called for a review of analytical capacity, how it was organised and the resources to commit.
What I did
I assessed needs and capacity across the platform, analysed spending and outsourcing, consulted suppliers and partners, and drew up scenarios for organisation and investment.
How it informed the decision
A platform audit and three development scenarios covering equipment, organisation, staffing, investment and scheduling.
Audit scope
Analytical platform audit conducted in 2022 as part of the €2.5 million Deinobiotics project. The audit produced three costed scenarios to guide organisational and investment decisions.
BIOVAL OCÉAN INDIENProcess · Bioresources
Evaluation of a process to add value to pineapple by-products.
The study explored how to extract bromelain from pineapple by-products. A higher protein yield offers limited value if enzyme activity declines.
What I did
I contributed to designing and evaluating the ultrasound-assisted extraction study, covering the literature review, experimental strategy, modelling and trade-offs between enzyme activity and energy use.
How it informed the decision
A report documenting the trade-offs between enzyme activity and energy use, the conditions tested and the limitations to address before scaling up.
Study scope and context
Technical assessment conducted in 2024 through a collaboration between Bioval Océan Indien and CIRAD. The report reviews laboratory-scale results and model projections to inform the next steps in development.
These summaries present the work carried out. Internal reports and confidential data are kept private.
SAMPLE DELIVERABLE · SIMULATED DATA
Decision support dashboard.
I analyse your methods and workflows, then model ways to improve them and quantify the effects on throughput, costs and revenue. I present the analysis in a dashboard tailored to your needs. Connected to your data, it helps decision-makers manage operations in real time.
The budget caps new spending on a weekly basis. The net result also includes existing staff costs and consumables.
Edit cost assumptions
The protocol validation cost is spread over 24 weeks. The instrument purchase cost is spread over 240 working weeks. The full purchase price is payable upfront.
Results delivered40
Weekly net result€275
Revenue€2,600
Average cost per result€58.13
Budget used · €0 of €1,000
Measurement limits throughput. 25 prepared samples are waiting.
01
Prepare
65 prepared
Capacity 65 per week
35 waiting
02
Measure
40 measured
Capacity 40 per week
25 waiting · Bottleneck
03
Validate
40 validated
Capacity 80 per week
No queue
Cost and net result breakdown
This example uses simulated costs and capacities. Each scenario represents one week after the measurement method has been validated. Each orange vial represents five samples waiting to be processed.
CHARLIE BASSET · SENIOR CONSULTANT
Scientific rigour. A complete view of the project.
I hold a PhD in chemistry and bring over fifteen years of experience in public research, biotechnology and independent consulting. My expertise covers natural products, analytical methods and the development of projects that use them.
Expertise built through research and leading teams.
My joint French–Brazilian doctorate focused on antifungal compounds from Amazonian biodiversity. I then worked at CNRS on processes and biopolymers. This experience informs how I assess hypotheses, interpret the scope of results and evaluate development options.
As head of an analytical platform at Déinove, I worked on equipment decisions and partnerships, and managed a team of ten researchers, engineers and technicians. These responsibilities involved balancing scientific aims, organisation and available resources.
I have worked as an independent consultant since 2018, helping companies and scientific teams design, develop and evaluate projects. I connect the technical analysis and delivery constraints to the information decision-makers need.
Sharing and discussing scientific expertise.
Scientific publications, supervision and over 2,000 hours of teaching and training inform the way I advise clients and communicate findings.
HOW I WORK
A clearly defined assignment. Advice grounded in the evidence.
I work directly with the project lead, R&D manager or leadership team. We define the questions to investigate, the deliverables and the dates when decisions are due.
01 / DEFINING THE ASSIGNMENT
Clarify the decisions ahead.
We review the objectives, work in progress, stakeholders, constraints and decisions due, then agree on the scope and level of analysis.
02 / CARRYING OUT THE WORK
Investigate the key questions.
Document review, interviews, assessment of the data and options, and discussions with teams and partners follow the plan agreed in a written proposal.
03 / FINDINGS AND DECISIONS
Make a reasoned recommendation.
I set out what is established, where uncertainty remains and what I recommend. The findings put the scenarios and upcoming decisions in context.
Expert review or part-time project support.
Short assignments or regular support one to two days per week, depending on the scope and availability. I work remotely, visit laboratories and arrange occasional travel with you.
Based in Gard, France France and international projects French · English · Portuguese
LET'S DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT
What project would you like to design or evaluate?
Planning a programme, choosing a development path or reviewing an investment? Tell me about the context, the people involved and the decision you need to make.
We can define a focused consulting assignment or part-time project support, with a clear scope, deliverables and timetable.
