Mentors

Mentoring of Master students is an integral part of the Egal'ITI committee's actions. But how does it work, you ask?

First of all, our individual mentoring program is totally voluntary: each student can choose his or her mentor among the members of the Egal'ITI committee. The mentor will be there, at the mentee's request, to help during the academic year. The mentor is there to listen and to give advice when needed to succeed in the HiFunMat training. The mentor can also offer an easier access to the HiFunMat network of scientists by, for example, organizing a visit to his or her laboratory.
As the members of the Egal'ITI committee have very different backgrounds, you will have no problem finding a good match.

You can directly consult their profiles below, or download them here

So don't hesitate to contact them!

Laure Biniek

Job : Chemistry researcher
Laboratory : Institut Charles Sadron (ICS) – CNRS Strasbourg
E-mail : laure.biniek[at]ics-cnrs.unistra.fr
Online profile

Research field : Physics of polymeric materials

Academic track and career : I followed an academic training at the University of Lyon in Chemistry (DUT Chemistry then Bachelor of Chemistry), and specialised in polymeric materials during my Master.
I did my PhD at the University of Strasbourg (2007-2010) on 'low bandgap semiconducting polymers: from their synthesis to their integration in organic photovoltaic devices'. I then carried out two post-doctoral fellowships, one at Imperial College London (18 months) and the other at ICS in Strasbourg (24 months).
I joined the CNRS by competition in 2014 and am affiliated to the ICS.

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2010 ; Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches in 2020

Valérie Caps

Job : Chemistry researcher
Laboratory : Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l’Energie, l’Environnement et la Santé (ICPEES) - Strasbourg
E-mail : caps[at]unistra.fr
Online profile

Research field : Nanomaterials for chemistry

Academic track and career : Valérie Caps graduated from the University of Strasbourg (Master, 1997). She obtained a scholarship from the University of Reading (UK) and completed her PhD in 2001 under the supervision of Prof. S.C.E. Tsang. After two post-doctoral fellowships at Johnson Matthey (Sonning Common, UK) and at the Max Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany), she was awarded a tenure track position at the CNRS.  She joined IRCELYON in 2003 and received the CNRS bronze medal for her work in 2008. She then spent a few years in Saudi Arabia to participate in the construction of the KAUST Catalysis Center in Jeddah. She joined the Photocatalysis and Photoconversion team at ICPEES (Strasbourg, France) in 2012. Her research focuses on the development of size- and interface-controlled nano-objects for chemical transformations, with a particular emphasis on high-risk/high-gain challenges, selective and green processes and, more recently, plasmonic catalysis. Her main funding sources are ANR and IDEX. She has published over 70 papers and holds 4 patents.

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2001

Morgan Donnard

Job : CNRS chemistry researcher
Laboratory : ECPM, LIMA – UMR 7042
E-mail : donnard[at]unistra.fr 
Online profile

Research field : Organic chemistry synthesis

Academic track and career : After studies at the interface between biology and chemistry (Magistère) at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, I did a thesis in organic synthesis at the ENSCMu under the supervision of Pr. Jacques Eustache, and defended my Ph.D. in 2008. I then carried out two post-doctoral fellowships, one in Manchester (UK) under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Clayden and the other in Mulhouse in the team of Dr. Nicolas Blanchard. In 2012, I joined the CNRS as a research fellow by joining the Faculty of Pharmacy and finally the ECPM following a transfer in 2018. My work focuses on the development of new synthetic methodologies leading by means of domino reactions or molecular rearrangements to polyfunctionalized small molecules of interest in fields as varied as pharmacy or luminescent materials.

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2008 ; Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches in 2019

Béatrice Heurtault

Job : Maître de conférences
Laboratory : Faculté de pharmacie, Illkirch
E-mail : bheurtault[at]unistra.fr
Online profile

Research field : Pharmaceutical galenics

Academic track and career : I graduated as a pharmacist in 1998. I then went on to do a DEA (former type of master program) in biopharmacy and pharmacotechnics (Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Paris Saclay) and then a PhD. The scientific part of my PhD, directed by Pr P. Saulnier and J.P. Benoit, was carried out within the Micro and Translational Nanomedicine (MINT) UMR Inserm 1066 - CNRS 6021 team in Angers. I was working on the development of a formulation technique for a new generation of lipid nanocapsules and their evaluation as drug carriers. After a few months of post-doctoral work, I was recruited in 2003 as a lecturer in galenic pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Strasbourg/Illkirch. I teach "drug formulation" to pharmacy students and to students in the professional degree course "pharmaceutical processes and technologies". My research work focuses in particular on the development of nanoparticulate anti-tumour peptide vaccines and more recently on the study of biomaterials with therapeutic properties (anti-inflammatory).

Last obtained degrees : Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches in 2012

Aline Maisse-Francoise

Job : Lecturer, researcher
Laboratory : Faculté de chimie- Institut de Physique et de Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS)

E-mail : amaisse[at]unistra.fr  
Online profile

Research field : Molecular inorganique chemistry

Academic track and career : I started my university studies at the University of Franche-Comté (2 years), then continued at the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg (Maîtrise, DEA, then thesis). In 1999, I defended my thesis entitled 'Synthesis and Reactivity towards nucleophiles of new cyclomanganese complexes of arenetricarbonylchromium: towards the elaboration of new syn-facial hetero-bimetallic compounds', under the supervision of Drs. M. Pfeffer and J.P. Djukic. I then did a one-year post-doctoral fellowship in the group of Prof. G. Suess-Fink in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, during which I worked on the synthesis of ruthenium clusters and their application in catalysis. During my university studies, I had the opportunity to spend several periods abroad as part of the ERASMUS program or as part of a collaboration between research laboratories (University of York (UK), Bonn (D) and Oxford (UK)). I am currently a lecturer in the chemistry faculty of Unistra and do my research at the IPCMS (organometallic chemistry, catalysis, medicinal chemistry).

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 1999

Amparo Ruiz Carretero

Job : Researcher
Laboratory : Institut Charles Sadron (ICS) – CNRS Strasbourg
E-mail : amparo.ruiz[at]ics-cnrs.unistra.fr
Online profile

Research field : Supramolecular chemistry and organic electronics

Academic track and career : I am originally from Ciudad Real (Spain), where I did my PhD. During this period I visited the group of Prof. E. W. Meijer at the Technical University of Eindhoven (The Netherlands) for one year. Then I did a short postdoc of 10 months at the same university in the group of Prof. Albert Schenning, and then I moved to Northwestern University (Chicago, USA) for a longer postdoc in the group of Prof. Samuel Stupp. Back in Europe, I did a third postdoc in Prof. Luisa De Cola's group at the Institute of Science and Supramolecular Engineering (ISIS) in Strasbourg. In 2015, I obtained a position at the CNRS and started working in 2016 at the Institut Charles Sadron (Strasbourg). My research focuses on supramolecular chemistry strategies applied to organic electronics. Currently, we are a small group of 2 PhD students and 2 postdocs of all different nationalities and we work in close collaboration with the rest of the researchers in our team (SYCOMMOR). We are a very open laboratory, focused on mentoring and providing the best possible training for students and young researchers.

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2009

Arnaud Spangenberg

Job : Researcher
Laboratory : Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse
E-mail : arnaud.spangenberg[at]uha.fr 

Research field : Molecular physical chemistry, photo-induced 3D microfabrication

Academic track and career : After studying at the University of Cergy Pontoise and then at the University of Paris-Saclay, Arnaud Spangenberg joined the Photophysics and Supramolecular and Macromolecular Photochemistry Laboratory at ENS Cachan (now ENS Paris-Saclay) in 2005 as a master student and then as a doctoral student. In 2009, he defended his thesis entitled "Elaboration and characterization of photocommutable nanosystems". He then completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in the group of Prof. A.M. Brouwer (HIMS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) where he explored a wide range of experimental techniques in fluorescence microspectroscopy to study molecular motors at the single molecule scale. In 2011, he joined the Institute of Materials Science of Mulhouse (IS2M) as a post-doctoral fellow to develop new techniques for 3D microfabrication by biphotonic photopolymerisation. With his experience in photochemistry and optical instrumentation, he was recruited in 2013 at IS2M as a CNRS research fellow to work on new 3D printing methods by photopolymerisation and to develop the materials associated with these processes

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2009

Emilie Steveler

Job : Maître de conférences
Laboratory : INSA Strasbourg et Laboratoire ICube
E-mail : emilie.steveler[at]insa-strasbourg.fr
Online profile

Research field : Material physics

Academic track and career : I studied at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Nancy (University of Lorraine) where I obtained a Bachelor's degree in physics and a Master's degree in materials physics, specialising in condensed matter physics and chemistry. I then completed a PhD in materials physics at the Institut Jean Lamour (IJL, Nancy, 2009-2012) and then joined the Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies (C2N, Palaiseau, 2012-2015) as a post-doctoral fellow to work in the field of optoelectronic devices and thus broaden my skills. After 3 years at C2N, I obtained in 2015 a position as a lecturer at INSA Strasbourg where I teach physics. I carry out my research activities at the Laboratory of Engineering, Computer Science and Imaging (ICube) where I study the optical and electronic properties of materials for photovoltaic applications.

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2012

Madeline Vauthier

Job : Maître de conférences
Laboratory : Institut Charles Sadron / ECPM, Strasbourg
E-mail : madeline.vauthier[at]ics-cnrs.unistra.fr
Online profile

Research field : Materials and nanoscience

Academic track and career : Passionate about chemistry, physics, materials and teaching, I passed the Concours Commun Polytechniques in 2012 after 2 years of CPGE (classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles) in Nancy. I then entered the European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM) in Strasbourg. Indeed, the different specialities, in particular the "polymer engineering" course, as well as the trilingual curriculum offered by this school convinced me from the start. I graduated in 2015 as a Chemical Engineer and also obtained a Master 2 in Materials and Nanosciences (University of Strasbourg). It was my end-of-study internship at ICS that confirmed my attraction for research. I therefore decided to pursue a thesis at the Institute of Materials Science in Mulhouse (UMR 7361) to have the opportunity to deepen my theoretical knowledge while learning new experimental techniques in the field of coatings, adhesives and stimulable materials. After an ATER year at ICS during which I was teaching "engineering science" courses at ECPM, I got a position as ICS/ECPM lecturer in September 2018. My research now consists in developing stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles by functionalizing (bio)polymers or said particles in order to control their characteristics and morphologies only by modifying the properties of their environment.

Last obtained degrees : Ph.D. in 2018