After obtaining a DEA in statistical physics and nonlinear phenomena at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon and the agrégation in physics, I defended my doctoral thesis entitled “Validity of the diffusion equation in Hamiltonian dynamics” in 1995 at the Université de Provence. I then did a post-doc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I introduced a new ion acceleration mechanism using radio-frequency waves in a magnetized plasma. I followed this up with a second post-doc at consorzio RFX (Padua, Italy), where I collaborated in demonstrating a new, single-helicity mode of operation for a Reversed Field Pinch, a magnetic fusion machine with a toroidal configuration. I then joined the CEA in 2000, first at the Saclay center, where I worked on developing a 3D code for laser propagation in thick uranium vapor as part of the SILVA project. Since 2003, I have been working at CEA DAM Île-de-France on modeling the propagation of laser beams, such as those from the LMJ, in a hohlraum plasma. I’m particularly interested in the non-linear kinetic effects involved in wave coupling.

Alongside my research activities, I have taught at various levels: at the Lycée Français de Lisbonne during my civil service period, at the Université de Provence as a moniteur normalien, in “classe préparatoire” at the Lycée Henri IV in Paris and, since 2012, in a doctoral school at Orsay. I was also a member of the jury for the Ecole Polytechnique entrance exam.