Didier TronoAfter obtaining an M.D. from the University of Geneva and completing a clinical training in pathology, internal medicine and infectious diseases in Geneva and at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Didier Trono embarked in a scientific career at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research of MIT. In 1990, he joined the faculty of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies to launch a center for AIDS research. He moved back to Europe seven years later, before taking the reins of the newly created EPFL School of Life Sciences, which he directed from 2004 to 2012. He is now actively engaged in the efforts of Switzerland to integrate new technologies in the fields of precision medicine and personalized health.
Paul BowenDr. P. Bowen after gaining his BSc in Physics at Imperial College (UK), he obtained his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in the field of catalysis from the University of Cambridge, UK, in 1982, He then worked at the BP Research Centre, Sunbury, UK, for 4 years in applied surface sciences before moving to Switzerland and EPFL in 1987. He has been at the Powder Technology Laboratory, in the Materials Institute since its conception in 1988. He has over 190 publications and has written an undergraduate book on ceramic synthesis and processing. Education: 1976-1979 Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. B.Sc. Honours in Physics. 1979-1982 Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Cambridge. Certificate of Postgraduate Studies in Chemistry. Thesis: A Mössbauer Study of Some Clay Minerals and their Surfaces. Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. Thesis: An Iron-57 and Tin-119 Mössbauer Spectroscopic Study of Some Graphite Intercalation Compounds and Carbon Supported Iron Catalysts. Professional Experience: 1983-1986 Research Scientist (Physical Chemist), New Technology Division, British Petroleum Company plc, BP Research Centre, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7LN, England. 1987-1988 Engineer, Ceramics Laboratory, Département des Matériaux, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. 1988-2008 Research Associate/lecturer, Powder Technology Laboratory (Present) Institute des Matériaux, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. 1988- 2015 Maitre DEnsiegnement et Recherche (Lecturer & Researcher), Powder Technology Laboratory, Institute des Matériaux, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne,CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland 2015 – present Adjunct Professor (Professeur Titulaire), Powder Technology Laboratory (LTP), Materials Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH - 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Christophe RousselHabilitation à Diriger les Recherches (HDR) in chemistry at the Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay (Cachan, France)PhD Thesis in physical organic chemistry at the University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté (Besançon, France) / Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay (Cachan, France)
Matthias LütolfMatthias Lutolf is Full Professor at EPFL’s Institute of Bioengineering, with a cross appointment in the Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering. Lutolf was trained as a Materials Engineer at ETH Zurich where he also carried out his PhD studies (with Jeffrey Hubbell) that were awarded with an ETH medal. He continued his research training as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Stem Cell Biology (with Helen Blau) at Stanford University. He has served as the Director of the Institute of Bioengineering from 2014 to 2018. Lutolf is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of stem cell bioengineering and tissue engineering. His research program uniquely combines stem cell biology with engineering principles and quantitative thinking. His team, composed of engineers, chemists, physicists, cell and developmental biologists, strives to develop technologies that have true biological and medicinal function and applicability. Lutolf’s work has led to more than 110 peer-reviewed scientific publications, many of which published in highly reputed journals, more than 25 patents, and the commercialization of several products. Current research in the Lutolf lab is focused on the bioengineering of miniature tissues, termed organoids, that are generated from self-organizing stem cells.
Theo LasserDe nationalité allemande, né en 1952 à Lauchheim (Baden-Württemberg). Après des études de physique à l'Université Fridericiana de Karlsruhe, il y obtient son diplôme de physique en 1978.
En 1979, il rejoint l'Institut de Recherches franco-allemand à Saint-Louis (France) comme collaborateur scientifique. En 1986, il rejoint la division de recherche de Carl Zeiss à Oberkochen (Allemagne) où il développe principalement divers systèmes laser pour des applications médicales. Dès 1990, il dirige le laboratoire laser de la division médicale. En 1993, il prend la direction de l'unité "laser d'ophtalmologie". Dès le début 1995, il est chargé de restructurer et regrouper les nombreuses activités d'ophtalmologie chez Carl Zeiss et de les transférer à Jena. Durant cette période, il réalise des nouveaux instruments de réfraction, des biomicroscopes et des caméras rétiniennes.
Dès janvier 1998, il dirige la recherche de Carl Zeiss à Jena où il initie de nouveaux projets en microscopie, en microtechnique et en recherche médicale. En juillet 1998, il est nommé professeur ordinaire en optique biomédicale à l'Institut d'optique appliquée. Au sein du Département de microtechnique, son activité de recherche porte sur la photonique biomédicale. Il participe à l'enseignement d'optique et d'instrumentation biomédicale.
Short CV
1972 Physics University of Karlsruhe (Germany)
1979 l'Institut de Recherches franco-allemand à Saint-Louis (France)
1986 central research division Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen (Germany)
1990 Med - Division, ophthalmic lasers
1994 Ophthalmology division, Carl Zeiss Jena
1998 Head of Central research Carl Zeiss Jena
1998 full Professor Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne, Switzerland
Philippe GilletPhilippe GILLET completed his undergraduate studies in Earth Science at Ecole normale supérieure de la rue dUlm (Paris). In 1983 he obtained a PhD in Geophysics at Université de Paris VII and joined Université de Rennes I as an assistant. Having obtained a State Doctorate in 1988, he became a Professor at this same university, which he left in 1992 to join Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon.
The first part of his research career was devoted to the formation of mountain ranges particularly of the Alps. In parallel, he developed experimental techniques (diamond anvil cells) to recreate the pressure and temperature prevailing deep inside planets in the lab. These experiments aim at understanding what materials make up the unreachable depths of planets in the solar system.
In 1997, Gillet started investigating extraterrestrial matter. He was involved in describing meteorites coming from Mars, the moon or planets which have disappeared today and explaining how these were expelled from their original plant by enormous shocks which propelled them to Earth. He also participated in the NASA Stardust program and contributed to identify comet grains collected from the tail of Comet Wild 2 and brought back to Earth. These grains represent the initial minerals in our solar system and were formed over 4.5 billion years ago. He has also worked on the following subjects:
Interactions between bacteria and minerals.
Solid to glass transition under pressure.
Experimental techniques: laser-heated diamond anvil cell, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction with synchrotron facilities, electron microscopy.
Philippe Gillet is also active in science and education management. He was the Director of the CNRS Institut National des Sciences de lUnivers (France), the President of the French synchrotron facility SOLEIL and of the French National Research Agency (2007), and the Director of Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon. Before joining EPFL he was the Chief of Staff of the French Minister of Higher Education and Research.
Selected publications:
Ferroir, T., L. Dubrovinsky, A. El Goresy, A. Simionovici, T. Nakamura, and P. Gillet (2010), Carbon polymorphism in shocked meteorites: Evidence for new natural ultrahard phases, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 290(1-2), 150-154.
Barrat J.A., Bohn M., Gillet Ph., Yamaguchi A. (2009) Evidence for K-rich terranes on Vesta from impact spherules. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 44, 359374.
Brownlee D, Tsou P, Aleon J, et al. (2006) Comet 81P/Wild 2 under a microscope. Science, 314, 1711-1716.
Beck P., Gillet Ph., El Goresy A., and Mostefaoui S. (2005) Timescales of shock processes in chondrites and Martian meteorites. Nature 435, 1071-1074.
Blase X., Gillet Ph., San Miguel A. and Mélinon P. (2004) Exceptional ideal strength of carbon clathrates. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 215505-215509.
Gillet Ph. (2002) Application of vibrational spectroscopy to geology. In Handbook of vibrational spectroscopy, Vol. 4 (ed. J. M. Chalmers and P. R. Griffiths), pp. 1-23. John Wiley & Sons.
Gillet Ph., Chen C., Dubrovinsky L., and El Goresy A. (2000) Natural NaAlSi3O8 -hollandite in the shocked Sixiangkou meteorite. Science 287, 1633-1636.