Julien Mallet is an ethnomusicologist and researcher at the IRD's URMIS laboratory (Migration and Society Research Unit) at the University of Paris. He was president of the Société Française d'Ethnomusicologie (SFE) from 2008 to 2012. A specialist in Madagascar and tsapiky music from the Tuléar region, Julien Mallet has recently extended his research to other Malagasy musical phenomena and their circulation at national, regional (Indian Ocean) and international levels. His book Le tsapiky, une jeune musique de Madagascar, ancêtres cassettes et bals-poussière, published in 2009 by Karthala, won the 'Coup de cœur' for world music from the Académie Charles Cros. He is currently in charge of GRIP's 'circulation' section, and as such is a member of its enlarged steering committee.

In addition, Julien Mallet coordinates with Christian Rinaudo (Université Côte d'Azur) the URMIS 'Cultural practices, knowledge and techniques in circulation' research group and, with Maud Laëthier, runs the GRIP-certified seminar 'Contemporary research in anthropology: circulations in question(s)'.