Léa Génis studied traditional ecological knowledge and ethnobiology at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, before joining the CRAterre Laboratory at the National School of Architecture of Grenoble (ENSAG) to specialize in anthropology of housing and building cultures related to the conservation of earth building heritage. She is currently performing a PhD in Architecture among the research unit Architecture, Environment and Building Cultures (ENSAG) and Centre Max Weber (UMR 5283) of Jean Monnet University in Saint Etienne. Through multi-sited ethnography, she tries to understand knowledge and heritage construction processes embedded into retrofitting of ancient rammed earth houses.