Academic Departments: A New Director and Two New Directors
Department of Biology and Ecology
Mélanie DEBIAIS-THIBAUD, the new Director of the Biology and Ecology Department
After completing my dissertation at Paris-Sud University in 2008 and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa in Canada from 2008 to 2011, I was hired as an associate professor at the University of Montpellier in September 2011. Since then, I have been affiliated with the Biology-Ecology Department within the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Montpellier and with the Montpellier Institute of Evolutionary Sciences. I teach courses at the bachelor’s and master’s levels and conduct research projects focused on embryology, particularly its molecular and evolutionary aspects.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Émilien AZEMA, the new Director of the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Full Professor at the University of Montpellier since 2023 and a junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (2020–2025). After completing my dissertation, I conducted postdoctoral research at the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées in 2007 (Nantes) on granular flows, and was subsequently invited to conduct research at the University of Los Andes (Bogotá, 2008) and Chiang Mai University (Thailand, 2015). I have also been an Associate Professor at Polytechnique Montréal since 2024. Prior to my appointment as department chair, I was responsible for the first year of the master’s program and spearheaded dual-degree programs with the IAE in Montpellier, offering students dual expertise in management and science. My research, which is primarily numerical using a discrete-element method, focuses on the mechanics of granular materials: fracture and flow in geomaterials, complex or deformable granular materials, and even granular systems in space (asteroids, low gravity).
Department of Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Automation
Philippe ENRICI, New Co-Director of the Department of
Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Automation
As a faculty researcher at the Institute of Electronics and Systems in the Energy, Materials, and Systems Group, I work on the sizing and design of innovative electric actuators for system electrification (more electric aircraft, automotive systems, wind energy, etc.). I teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Department of Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Automation, and I am the Director of the Electrical Energy, Environment, and System Reliability (3EFS) track within the EEA Master’s program. I coordinate the electrical engineering curriculum across the department’s programs and participate in various renewable energy projects for the university.
Department of Mathematics
Matthieu HILLAIRET, the new Director of the Mathematics Department
After completing my dissertation at ENS Lyon and defending it in 2005, I served as an associate professor first at Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse III) from 2006 to 2010 and then at Paris-Dauphine University from 2010 to 2014. I was promoted to full professor at the University of Montpellier in September 2014. Except for the 2019–2024 period, during which I was appointed to the Institut Universitaire de France, I teach courses ranging from the bachelor’s degree through the M2 level for mathematics and engineering programs. My research focuses on applied analysis of models derived from biology and fluid mechanics.