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Internship and thesis proposals
Criteria for selection
Number of proposals
19
1
Curvature control during insect wing unfolding
Domaines
Biophysics
Soft matter
Physics of living systems
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Insects inflate wings larger than their cocoons within minutes, but what keeps them flat instead of curling? Combining advanced imaging, genetic perturbations, and mechanical testing, we seek the principles that ensure wing flatness and regulate curvature.
Contact
Joel Marthelot
12/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
2
Bosons and fermions in van der Waals heterostructures
Domaines
Condensed matter
Nouveaux états électroniques de la matière corrélée
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The project focuses on mixtures of electrons (fermion) and excitons (electron-hole pair, a boson) in a new class of materials: van der Waals heterostructures. The latter can be seen as a “mille-feuille”, obtained by stacking atomically thin sheets of various materials. They recently became a prominent platform to study many-body physics, after a milestone discovery of superconductivity in bilayer graphene. Our long term ambition is to introduce superconductivity in a controlled manner, using excitons as force-carrier bosons (instead of phonons in conventional superconductors). The internship will pave the way toward this goal. It includes two steps, (i) the fabrication of the heterostructures and (ii) a first characterization with optical spectroscopy.
Contact
Bertrand Evrard
12/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
3
Information flow and polymer physics of gene activity
Domaines
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Our project tackles the fundamental challenge of bridging the diverse temporal and spatial scales of biological development. From the nanoscale molecular interactions that occur in seconds to the formation of millimeter-to-meter-scale tissues over days, nature's complexity is staggering. This project seeks to unveil how information flows from molecular transcription factors to orchestrate tissue formation. This project employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining experimental techniques (quantitative microscopy) with theoretical modeling (polymer and statistical physics). It aims to decode the mechanisms governing the interplay between cellular regulation and tissue development. This research has broad implications for biophysics, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine.
Contact
Thomas Gregor
12/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
4
SELF-ORGANIZED PATTERNING IN MAMMALIAN STEM-CELL AGGREGATES
Domaines
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
This research project aims to uncover the biophysical principles that enable mammalian embryonic stem cells to self-organize into synthetic organoid structures reminiscent of mouse embryos. Our approach blends mathematical modeling with precise single-cell
measurements to investigate the emergence of positional and correlative information within differentiating stem-cell aggregates. By integrating theoretical predictions with experimental data, the project will compare dynamic information flow across various
developmental systems, such as fly embryos and stem-cell-derived organoids. This interdisciplinary effort not only bridges quantitative and life sciences but also offers students a collaborative environment where they can take ownership of their research and help define the project’s direction.
Contact
Thomas Gregor
12/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
5
Dynamics and Mechanics of Drosophila Head Eversion
Domaines
Biophysics
Soft matter
Physics of living systems
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
During pupal development, the Drosophila head initially forms inside the larval body. A few hours after puparium formation, the head and eyes suddenly evert, emerging in less than a minute. Despite its critical role in shaping the adult head, this rapid morphogenetic transition remains essentially unstudied. Preliminary evidence suggests that eversion is driven by an increase in internal pressure that forces the head outward.
The aim of this internship is to establish a fundamental understanding of this morphogenetic event. We will use live imaging to quantify, for the first time, the morphometrics and dynamics of head eversion. Imaging will be carried out at IBDM, while complementary experiments at IUSTI will focus on live pressure measurements during eversion and characterization of tissue mechanics. By integrating kinematic analysis, mechanical measurements, and genetic perturbations, we seek to build a unified biophysical framework for understanding how hydraulic pressure drives head remodeling.
More broadly, head eversion represents a striking example of hydraulics-driven morphogenesis, a mechanism that enables extremely rapid, large-scale shape transformations of entire organs, yet remains a largely unexplored frontier in developmental biology.
Contact
Raphael Clement
12/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
6
FISH SCHOOLS AS SOFT ACTIVE MATTER
Domaines
Statistical physics
Soft matter
Physics of living systems
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Can the motion of animal collectives be described as the flows of soft active matter? To answer this question, we combine field studies of massive fish schools, extensive data analysis, machine learning, and mathematical modelling. Depending on your interests and the scope of your internship, you will contribute to a selection of these efforts. Reach out to learn more about our research!
Contact
Denis Bartolo
12/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
7
Hiding images in quantum correlations
Domaines
Quantum information theory and quantum technologies
Quantum optics
Non-linear optics
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Quantum imaging exploits non-classical light to outperform classical methods in resolution, sensitivity, or to enable new modalities. Our team has recently developed an approach that encodes images in the correlations of entangled photon pairs, making them invisible to standard intensity measurements but retrievable through coincidence detection with advanced single-photon cameras. Using this technique, we demonstrated image transmission through scattering layers in conditions where classical light fails. This M2 internship (with the possibility of continuing as a PhD) builds directly on these results. The setup will be upgraded with a digital micromirror device and an event-based camera to move toward real-time operation. The project will then explore new applications, such as exploiting the intrinsic nonlinearity of quantum imaging for advanced image processing or photonic computing, and investigating secure image transmission schemes based on entanglement. The student will actively improve the system’s performance, study the underlying physics, and help identify promising research directions through both experiments and simulations.
More infos: www.quantumimagingparis.fr
Contact
Hugo Defienne
11/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
8
Manipulating entangled photons through complex media
Domaines
Quantum optics
Non-linear optics
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Quantum entanglement underpins technologies in communication, computing, and imaging, but its fragile nature makes it highly sensitive to optical disorder such as turbulence or scattering. This limits the performance of many quantum protocols and poses a major challenge for real-world applications. In collaboration with Prof. Gigan’s group at LKB, we investigate how entangled photons propagate through complex media and develop methods to preserve and control their quantum properties. We have shown that wavefront shaping, originally designed for classical light, can compensate for scattering and enable entanglement transmission through diffusive layers. Surprisingly, disorder can also be exploited: we demonstrated Bell inequality violations through multimode fibers, opening new perspectives for entanglement distribution in networks. Building on these results, this Master’s internship (with the possibility of continuing to a PhD) will focus on transmitting complex entangled two-photon states (e.g. polariation, space, spectral) through highly scattering media. The project will develop a novel multi-plane wavefront shaping strategy, inspired by multi-plane light converters, combining the expertise of Dr. Defienne’s team in quantum imaging with Prof. Gigan’s advances in wavefront shaping. More infos: www.quantumimagingparis.fr
Contact
Hugo Defienne
11/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
9
Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of many-body quantum systems
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Condensed matter
Low dimension physics
Non-relativistic quantum field theory, quantum optics, complex quantum systems
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Quantum information theory and quantum technologies
Quantum optics
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Quantum gases
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
Recent progress in the field of quantum thermodynamics allowed to define and analyze work and heat exchanges between quantum systems, and extend the Second law to nonequilibrium ensemble of quantum systems. However, applying those definitions to concrete situations require to keep track of the full state of the systems, which is intractable for large quantum systems. The intern will join the effort of the group to build a formalism for nonequilibrium quantum thermodynamics involving only a few macroscopic observables, relevant for numerical or experimental analysis of many-body systems. To do so, the intern will apply the concepts developed in the group to paradigmatic examples of many-body quantum systems, whose dynamics is either analytically or numerically solvable, to help identify the best formulations of the theory being developed. The internship might be pursued with a PhD in the group funded via a European ERC project.
Contact
Cyril Elouard
11/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
10
Brownian Motion near Soft Interfaces
Domaines
Condensed matter
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Soft matter
Physics of liquids
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Physics of living systems
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Kinetic theory ; Diffusion ; Long-range interacting systems
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Motility of microscopic biological entities with the aim of reaching specific targets is a central question of biophysics, as evidenced by: cancer metastasis, durotaxis of stem cells, antibody recognition, or DNA replication, among numerous other examples. In an idealization attempt, this problem could perhaps be reduced to simple mechanics through a minimal combination of essential ingredients: viscous flow, elastic boundaries, confined environment, charges and thermal fluctuations. Right from the above, the study of Brownian motion in soft-lubricated environments appears as one of the canonical fundamental problems of biophysics and nanophysics. Despite the obvious character of this statement, it is intriguing to notice that theoretical studies are scarce on the topic, and that experimental pieces of evidence are inexistant - to the best of our knowledge. The “EMetBrown” project thus naturally aims at filling this gap through various experiments, theoretical models and numerical simulations.
Contact
Thomas Salez
10/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
11
Probing electronic states of a synthetic 1D chain with transport and cQED
Domaines
Low dimension physics
Topological materials, Quantum Transport, Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
We study how spatial modulation of tunnel couplings in one-dimensional systems can open electronic band gaps and host edge states, as in the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model. Beyond fundamental physics, controlling such gaps is attractive for quantum technologies, since they can protect fragile quantum states from decoherence.
Recently, our team demonstrated electrical control of a band gap in a suspended carbon nanotube using an array of 15 gates. By applying alternating electrostatic potentials, we achieved tunable gaps up to 25 meV, directly visible in transport spectroscopy.
The internship (with possible continuation as a PhD) will build on this result by probing the system with microwave photons in a mesoscopic QED setup. Using a new readout technique based on cavity dipole radiation activated by rf-gates, the goal is to reveal edge states and move toward SSH-type physics. The project combines quantum transport and microwave engineering in close collaboration with the startup C12. Candidates should have a strong background in quantum/condensed matter physics and an interest in nanodevices and advanced measurement methods.
Contact
Matthieu Delbecq
10/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
12
Contingent dynamics in unbounded chemical networks: towards the emergence of prebiotic Darwinian processes
Domaines
Biophysics
Physics of living systems
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
This internship explores the emergence of prebiotic Darwinian processes in unbounded chemical networks. While existing models focus on autocatalytic cycles within finite chemical networks, this project aims to simulate infinite networks generated stochastically from simple chemical rules, considering a finite number of particles. This approach naturally incorporates chance effects, central to evolution, and produces dynamics that may be only partially reproducible. The goal is to understand how natural selection could arise in a purely physico-chemical context, at the origin of life. Simulations will be developed within the EmergeNS platform (C++), featuring a graphical interface and advanced visualization tools. The internship will take place at LBBE (Lyon) in a highly interdisciplinary environment bridging evolutionary biology, ecology, physics, and mathematics, with potential continuation as a PhD project at LBBE or PIMIT.
Contact
Sylvain Charlat
09/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
13
Molecular Formation Pictures: Time-resolved photoionization studies of atoms and molecules embedded in superfluid helium nanodroplets.
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Quantum gases
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The goal of this experimental internship is to follow in real time the bond formation of two isolated species initially separated in an ultracold (0.37K) superfluid solvent. For this purpose, we will use ultrashort laser pulses to trigger, track and characterize the reaction following a pump-probe methodology.
In practice, we will rely on time-resolved photoionization spectroscopy, a technique based on the ionization of the species by the laser pulses and on the detection of the electrons and ions as molecular probes. The electron carries information about the initial electronic state of the ionized species, while the ion reveals the final state after relaxation processes such as fragmentation or isomerization.
Contact
Constant Schouder
08/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
14
Quantum electronic waves crossing 2D junctions
Domaines
Condensed matter
Low dimension physics
Nouveaux états électroniques de la matière corrélée
Quantum information theory and quantum technologies
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The internship is focused on charge density waves —macroscopic quantum states consisting in a coherent spatial modulation of the charge in a crystal— and how they can experience a proximity effect, i.e. live in a crystal that does not naturally develop such quantum phases but can host them when put in contact to another crystal. This effect will be studied in two-dimensional crystals, and will be scrutinized using cryogenic optical spectroscopy and electron diffraction.
Contact
Johann Coraux
03/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
15
Photon statistics of electrical light nanosources
Domaines
Condensed matter
Low dimension physics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The goal of this internship is to develop a unique combination of a scanning tunneling microscope, an optical microscope, and a Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) interferometer for photon correlation measurements. Using this unique instrument, cutting-edge nano-optics experiments on plasmonic nanostructures coupled to quantum emitters will be performed. The tunneling current under the STM tip will be used as a source of local electrical excitation of the surface plasmons. The light produced will be collected using the optical microscope, and the photon bunching and anti-bunching effects will be demonstrated using the HBT interferometer (i.e. measuring the second-order correlation g(2) function of light). The internship includes a significant experimental component and instrumental development
Contact
Elizabeth Boer-Duchemin
03/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
16
Probing excitons on the nanoscale in two-dimensional semiconductors and their heterostructures
Domaines
Condensed matter
Low dimension physics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Two-dimensional semiconducting materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers, are key in the development of future device technologies. This is because such materials are only a few atoms thick and have unique optical and electronic properties. TMD monolayers are also considered an ideal platform for the study of excitons, i.e., bound electron-hole pairs, in 2D materials. Controlling the generation of excitons, their radiative decay, and their interactions with free charge carriers in 2D semiconductors is crucial for applications, e.g., in photovoltaic and light emitting devices. In this Masters thesis, the student will use nano-optical tools to probe the excitonic properties of TMD monolayers on the nanometer scale. The tunneling current between the sample and the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) will serve to locally excite the electroluminescence of the 2D semiconductor. The resulting light will be analyzed using optical microscopy and spectroscopy. Moreover, the student will carry out cutting-edge nano-optics experiments using the STM on “twist-engineered” heterostructures of these TMD monolayers. As has been recently discovered, new material properties may appear in such layered heterostructures depending on the misalignment angle (or “twist”) between adjacent layers.
Contact
Elizabeth Boer-Duchemin
03/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
17
Controlling the polarization of light with chiral plasmonic nanostructures
Domaines
Condensed matter
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
The chiroptical response of materials and structures is most often studied by optical means, yet in a future optoelectronic nanodevice, a local electronic excitation is necessary. Working with this long-term goal in mind, we will investigate for the first time the electrical excitation
of a chiral nanoparticle using the tunneling current from a scanning tunneling microscope. We will also investigate chiral light-matter interactions of a 2D semiconductor in an electrically excited plasmonic cavity
Contact
Elizabeth Boer-Duchemin
03/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
18
Cell automaton-based simulation of tissue migration in early embryonic development
Domaines
Biophysics
Soft matter
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Physics of living systems
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
This is a new multidisciplinary collaboration between two internationally renown teams: one in biophysics (Paris) and one in cell developmental biology (Montpellier).
Embryonic development involves large scale auto-organised tissue remodelling. Gastrulation is the process during which a sphere-like embryo acquires a multi-layered structure with a distinction between an “inside” and an “outside”. This a major event, highly conserved across evolution. This internship focuses on the stage where the mesoderm tissues (purple and red in the diagrams below) enter inside the embryo and prepare the head-trunk organisation of the future animal. Our model is here an amphibian, for which the Fagotto team measures experimentally all physical properties (stiffness, adhesiveness, tensions, motility) that control the individual or collective cell activity.
We aim at integrating experiment-driven information into a robust numerical simulation of collective movements emerging at tissue scale. This internship will focus on the onset of gastrulation. The intern will exploit an open-source software based on the “cellular Potts model” in the Graner team. The aim is to propose predictions which the Fagotto team will experimentally test.
Contact
François Graner
Laboratory : MSC - UMR7057
Team : Morphogenèse et Dynamique des Systèmes Auto-Organisés
Team Website
Team : Morphogenèse et Dynamique des Systèmes Auto-Organisés
Team Website
03/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :
19
Pressure profile in hydrogel membranes
Domaines
Soft matter
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The aim of this project is to characterize mechanical deformations inside soft membranes under an osmotic flux. The membrane fabrication method will rely on photo-polymerization of hydrogels, and the characterization on micromechanics experiments, which allow for the visualization of materials displacements inside a hydrogel. Beyond bringing fundamental insight into soft membranes, this project will have far-reaching implications in the fields of biophysics and polymer physics.
Contact
Nicolas Bain
03/09/2025
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Thesis :
Funding :