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Mélissa MENU

Scientist

During my Master’s degree in Astrophysics, I had the opportunity to study ionization mechanisms in supernova remnants and then the magneto-rotational instability in accretion disks. I decided to pursue my research in magnetohydrodynamics with a PhD thesis in plasma physics, obtained in 2019. For several years, my research focused on the dynamo effect, which is responsible for many magnetic fields in astrophysical objects. I had the opportunity to study the mechanisms of generation and sustainment of planetary magnetic fields, and in particular the geomagnetic field, mainly via numerical simulation. I was able to continue this work as a post-doc before joining CEA DAM Île-de-France in 2022. Since then, I’ve been interested in various applications of magnetohydrodynamics in plasma physics, from modeling laser experiments to magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions in the solar system. To this end, I am involved in the development of the CLOVIS code, a multi-fluid 3D magnetohydrodynamics code initially used to study ionospheric disturbances. I also supervise several students working on these topics.