Prior to joining IDDRI in 2007 as research fellow "Ocean and coastal zones", Julien was research and teaching assistant at the University of Nantes, France, where he specialized in the legal status of coastal zones in Mediterranean countries and studied the influence of both the European Union and the Mediterranean Action Plan on ICZM implementation in the region.
Dealing with a wide range of issues including those related to the law of the sea and high seas governance, much of his current work focuses on ICZM implementation in the Mediterranean and most recently in the Western Indian Ocean region, where he is participating in the elaboration of an ICZM Protocol to be added to the Nairobi Convention.
A doctor in public law (University of Nantes, France) and in international law (University of Milan, Italy), Julien is a regular lecturer in various French universities (Nantes, La Rochelle, Sciences Po).