Damien Huzard

Damien Huzard

Hello! I’m Damien Huzard, a Neuro-physio-behaviorist with a passion for research and development. I founded NeuroNautix in 2025 to share my expertise in data analysis, data management, behavioral experiments and homecage monitoring systems.

Conflicts of Interest (COI)

I believe conflict‑of‑interest disclosure should be the norm across the research ecosystem—not only for those who collaborate with private companies. Financial ties matter, but so do intellectual commitments, methodological preferences, long‑standing collaborations, and the social dynamics that shape who we read, cite, and platform. Transparent COI statements help readers interpret work in context and invite everyone—academics included—to reflect on how our incentives and networks influence our science.

This page documents my current roles, collaborations, and how I manage potential conflicts. If you have questions or see anything that could be clearer, please reach out.

Current Roles and Interests

  • Founder, NeuroNautix — consulting in behavioral experiments, behavioral scoring, data analysis, and (meta)data handling. Learn more: neuronautix.com
  • Creator, MAPP (METADATAPP) — an initiative to improve metadata management and make FAIR/Open practices operational in preclinical research. Learn more: metadatapp.net

Open Source and Release Timelines

I am a strong advocate for open science. That said, building a new professional project entirely open source from day one can be difficult. Some components may be released progressively or after stabilization with early partners. My intent is to maximize openness while ensuring sustainability and quality.

Current Collaborations (Non‑Exhaustive)

In the context of NeuroNautix and MAPP, I currently collaborate with or am in ongoing conversations with: Tecniplast, Olden Labs, Metofico, Cology Biosciences, SoftMouse.NET, Anibio, and eLabFTW (DeltaBlot), among others.

I will update this list as relationships evolve. Formal financial relationships (e.g., paid consulting, paid pilots) are disclosed in talks and manuscripts where relevant.

How I Manage Potential Conflicts

  • Clear disclosure: I declare relevant roles, sponsors, and collaborations in talks, posts, and manuscripts.
  • Separation of evaluation from interest: When advising on tools or methods, I aim to separate needs assessment from vendor selection; where that isn’t possible, I say so explicitly.
  • Methods transparency: I document assumptions, analysis choices, and constraints; I share schemas and interfaces so others can reproduce or critique them.
  • Diverse citation and credit: I make a deliberate effort to cite across schools, tools, and communities—not just close collaborators or familiar names.
  • Progressive openness: I publish specifications, mappings, and exports where possible; when code is not yet public, I share roadmaps and timelines.

Why This Matters

Conflicts of interest are not only about money—they are also about ideas, incentives, and communities. Declaring them doesn’t eliminate bias, but it makes it visible and discussable. My goal is to help readers place my work in context and to set an example I hope more of us follow.

— Damien Huzard