Laureates 3rd call

EDUCATION
In this PhD project I use hydro-elastic waves obtained covering the air-water interface with an elastic lid to study fundamental phenomena at macroscopic scale. It’s possible to create an artificial crystal characterized by a band structure suitable to realise topological insulators. My goal is to investigate and understand how to make it.

PHD PROJECT: "Topological insulators and negative index with hydro-elastic waves"
I’m a computer engineer and a physicist, graduated at the University of Pisa. My field is mainly Physics of waves which includes Quantum optics, Acoustics and Fluid-dynamics. My previous researches concerned Laser cooling of YLF crystal (Pisa), Noise perception for Gatwick airport (Brighton) and CCD for astronomical observations.

EDUCATION
I come from Zaratamo, a small town in the Spanish side of the Basque Country. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Physics at the University of the Basque Country (Spain) and did a Master’s degree in General Physics at Lund University (Sweden).

PHD PROJECT: "Designing adaptable matter with DNA-coated colloidal particles"
In my PhD, using theory and numerical simulations, I study a model system of DNA-coated colloids that can be designed to exhibit properties of living matter like self-replication and metabolic-like behaviour. My goal is to further understand the emergence and physical constraints of catalytic cycles and their adaptability. For that, I use a bottom up approach to design efficient catalysts inspired by enzymes.

EDUCATION
My name is Viktor Zahoransky and I have been majoring in Mechanical Engineering at KIT in Germany before I began my PhD project here at ESPCI Paris.

PHD PROJECT: "Information transmission across generations: thermodynamics and evolutionary implications"
The PhD project is located in the domains of biochemistry and evolutionary biology. At the interfaces between microfluidics, genetics and bioinformatics we are producing and analyzing large libraries of DNA polymerase mutants at the Laboratoire de Biochimie (LBC). By applying theoretical models to the generated data I aim to clarify the mechanism for selectivity and the regulation of mutation rate in polymerases. This will provide a unique picture of the mechanism behind polymerase fidelity, a mechanism that is conserved across the different domains of life.

EDUCATION
I am Krupal Patel. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in SIMM Lab at ESPCI Paris. Before joining ESPCI, I have been working as a Project Scientific Officer at Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, India. I received M.S. from IIT Kanpur with specialization in Solid Mechanics and Design in June 2018. Prior to that, I have completed B.E. in Mechanical from VGEC, Ahmedabad in June 2014.

PHD PROJECT: "Fracture dynamics in soft matter – large strain meets dissipation - a model study"
In soft matter, adhesion fracture implies both large strains and extensive energy dissipation over a macroscopic region that can be compared with system size. These mechanisms stand out from the scope of the standard fracture mechanics. There is a strong need for a better evaluation of the impact of dissipation in the large deformation fracture of soft materials. In this project, we will tackle this important issue by a joint experimental and simulation work.

EDUCATION
I studied Bachelor’s in Physics and math (India) and Masters M.Sc. + MTech (nanoscience + nanotechnology) from Amity University, India. I worked in DRDO and National Physical Laboratory where I worked in materials and basic device fabrication. I also worked for 3 months in Germany on ion beam related to diamond color centers. I did masters thesis in IMEC Leuven, Belgium, where I did complete thin-film transistor fabrication using amorphous oxide semiconductor material and its I-V measurement.

PHD PROJECT: "Upconversion colloidal Nanocrystals for Nanoscale Optically-Controlled Microwave Devices"
Optically-controlled microwave devices are one of the key technological components to achieve optical communication. In this PhD project, we aim to develop a new type of solution-processable colloidal nanocrystals based on lanthanide-doped fluorides for alternative optically-controlled microwave devices by a hybrid device configuration. This research PhD program is located at the convergence of material synthesis, optical characterization, and device fabrication and characterization. The objectives of this work thus include, the synthesis of colloidal upconversion nanocrystals capable to up-convert 1.5 micron to visible wavelength by the tuning of the type and amount of lanthanide dopants. Because efficient microwave devices controlled by 1.5-micron photons are highly demanded but technologically still difficult to achieve.
My Masters thesis project in devices fabrication and my knowledge in synthesis of nanoparticles learnt during masters help me to get into this PhD project.

EDUCATION
I studied at Moscow State University where I Master’s Degree (with Honors) in applied physics and mathematics. As a student, I carried out research in the Laboratory of Superconductivity at ISSP where I have gained experience in thin film deposition, operation of ultra-high vacuum systems, cryogenics and transport measurements.

PHD PROJECT: "Study of YBCO based SSPDs with specific investigation through global and local measurements (STM, SGM) of the microscopic mechanism leading to hotspot formation"
Superconducting single-photon detector technology is a building block for numerous applications, including quantum communication or quantum computing. My Ph.D. is focused on a microscopic picture of particle-to-signal conversion. The aim is to define the genesis of the signal: is it done by vortices or due to another mechanism.

EDUCATION
Surabhi K S, UPtoParis (Marie Curie Action) PhD student, from India. Bachelor’s and Master’s from IISER Pune in Physics, with distinction. Awarded best thesis at IISER and best poster at Cambridge, for her Master’s project on Ising machine-wave dynamics of drops (under IISER, PMMH and ESPCI). She was also awarded the Indo-French Charpak scholarship, which first brought her to France in 2017.

PHD PROJECT: "New super-resolution fluorescence microscopy"
She is working on new techniques in super resolution fluorescence microscopy at ESPCI, Institut Langevin-known for its amalgamation of different fields in wave dynamics; fluids, acoustics and optics. Her PhD involves innovating with optics, optical elements and image processing; and building a new setup with nanometric resolution and using it to probe local environment in cellular medium.

EDUCATION
My name is Anusree Augustine from India. My bachelor was in Polymer engineering from MG University, India. After that, I moved to Germany to pursue my binational masters in polymer science at the University of Freiburg and the University of Strasbourg which enable me to do a master thesis at ICS, Strasbourg.

PHD PROJECT: "Hydrogel thin films: swelling and friction - Application to coatings"
During my Ph.D. I will focus on interfaces properties of thin hydrogel films grafted onto glass substrates. Two aspects will be tackled (i) the wetting properties of surface modified hydrogel films synthetized using a click-chemistry route (ii) the relationship between the physical-chemistry of the glass/film interface (silanization,…) and its resistance swelling stresses induced debonding.

EDUCATION
My name is Anastasia Goumenou and I have obtained my BSc in Pharmacy from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece, my home country. In my follow up MSc studies at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, I got a specialized both in Pharmacology and in Pharmaceutical analysis; research in the later field has become my passion ever since.

PHD PROJECT - Development of analytical methods for the characterization and quantitation of glycoproteins in biological samples: application to the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
My PhD concerns the development of analytical methods for the characterization and quantitation of an essential pregnancy glycoprotein, the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). To do so, I will be using both ‘’bottom-up’’ and ‘’top-down’’ proteomics. Since it is known that the relative proportion and structure of the different hCG glycoforms can both be used as maternal biomarkers, my ultimate goal is to develop a quick and effective diagnostic tool to identify "at-risk" pregnancies at a very early stage.

EDUCATION
Zeyuan Xu, born in Suzhou China, obtained his master degree in chemical engineering from KU Leuven Belgium. And he is currently a PhD student in the Spectrometrie de Masse Biologique et Proteomique (SMBP) lab of ESPCI Paris. His research experience fall within the interdisciplinary areas of chemistry, biology and chemical engineering, from self-assembly materials synthesis and characterization, reactor modelling to protein crystallization and droplet-based microfluidics devices prototyping. His current research interests are mainly on miniaturized system for analytical purpose and studying the post-translational modification of protein.

PHD PROJECT: "PTMomics: Microfluidics for post-translational modifications studies: application to redoxomics and glycoproteomics"
The project ‘PTMomics: Microfluidics for post-translational modifications studies: application to redoxomics and glycoproteomics’ aims to develop a microfluidic system that is compatible with the common proteomic approach. This system should significantly increase the overall coverage of the sample and allow us to access the redox and glycosylation state of the proteins for further study.