Morphogenesis in molecular systems
DNA nanotechnology, Molecular programming, Morphogenetic matter

Current members

Principal Investigator

Andre Estévez-Torres (CNRS Research Director, Principal Investigator). He obtained a MSc in chemistry and physics in 2003 at ENS Paris and a PhD in chemistry in 2007 working with Prof. L. Jullien at UPMC in Paris. He then spent a year at the Department of Physics at Kyoto University and two years at Princeton University, working, respectively, with Profs. K. Yoshikawa and R. H. Austin. He moved to the LPN in Marcoussis in 2010 then to the LJP in 2015 where he carries out research on the engineering of chemical dynamic systems. Since early 2022 he devotes half of his research to sustainable science, in particular to the estimation of the environmental footprint of research activities. He does so through a half-time assignment at the LASIRE Laboratory (Univ. de Lille and CNRS). CV

Principal Investigator

Jean-Christophe Galas (CNRS Research Associate, Principal Investigator). After a PhD in Dr. Yong Chen group in the Laboratory for Photonics and Nanostructures, he moved to the Industrial Materials Institute in Montreal, in the group of Dr. Teodor Veres. He then spent 3 years in a collaboration between ENS-Paris and ESPCI working with Dr. Maxime Dahan and Dr. Vincent Studer. He finally moved in october 2010 in the group of Anne-Marie Haghiri, Laboratory for Photonics and Nanostructures. Present research - developped since march 2015 in Laboratoire Jean Perrin (Sorbonne Université) - essentially focuses on the engineering of bio-chemical dynamic systems in micro/millifluidic devices, towards the development of life-like materials.

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Nicolas Lobato-Dauzier studied Physics at Ecole Polytechnique. He obtained a MSc in Electrical Engineering in 2018 at the University of Tokyo working on MEMS in-situ TEM with Pr. Hiroyuki Fujita. He got his PhD in 2021 from the University of Tokyo under the supervision of Pr. Teruo Fujii and Dr. Anthony Genot working on DNA nanotechnology and microfluidics. He continued on this topic 1 more year as a postdoc to apply it to molecular robotics with the help of Pr. Nathanael Aubert-Kato. He joined the group in April 2022 and carries out research on coupling active matter with molecular programs.

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Baptiste Blanc (Paris Region fellow) studied various topics in soft matter physics (granular media, foam, electroosmosis, liquid crystal, adhesion, hydrogels) in France and in Boston. In 2016, he started focusing his research on the physico-chemical principles ruling the behavior of life-like materials made of oscillating chemical reactions and hydrogels. He joined the group in February 2023 and carries out researches on a swarm of autonomous chemo-mechanical hydrogels.

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Romain Leroux studied chemistry, biochemistry and life sciences at Chimie ParisTech, Paris. He joined the group in February 2023 to work on programmable active matter in confined environments (PhD student 2023-2026).

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Gwenael Bonfante studied physical chemistry of materials at Université Claude Bernard in Lyon, France. He obtained his PhD under the supervision of B. Toury and M. Maillard from the Laboratoire des Multimatériaux et Interface and S. Chevalliot and B. Burger from Varioptic in 2017. He then moved to the laboratory of Prof. Kim B.J., as JSPS post-doctoral fellow in 2019 and in the laboratory of Dr. Kim S. H. as a CNRS post-doctoral fellow in 2021, both at the University of Tokyo. He joined the PEPR MoleculArxiv in 2022 under the guidance of A. Génot and moved to Laboratoire Jean Perrin in October 2023 to work on the prototyping of chip applied to DNA nanotechnologies.

Past members

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Guillaume Sarfati studied Physics and Chemistry at ESPCI Paris. He joined the group in september 2019 to work on programmable active matter. From March 2020, he started a PhD (PhD student 2020-2023) working on compartmentalized active matter.

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Marc Van Der Hofstadt studied biotechnology at the University of Barcelona, where he obtained his MSc in 2011. He achieved his PhD work in Nanoscience, at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and University of Barcelona, where he worked in achieving bioelectrical characterization at the nanoscale level until 2016. Since August 2017, he joined the group as a Post-Doc to work on the interaction of reactions networks with living cells.

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Yuliia Vyborna (Post-doc fellow 2019-2021) graduated from the Kiev National University Ukraine with a M.Sc. diploma in analytical chemistry. In 2014 she started Ph.D. thesis at the University of Bern in Switzerland with the major emphasis on elaborating methodologies toward DNA-grafted supramolecular polymers. From 2019, she is a member of the group as a Post-Doc. Her current research project is focused on the development of programmable active materials.

PhD student

Anis Senoussi (PhD student 2016-2019 & Post-doc fellow 2020) studied Physics and Biophysics at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon and Université Paris Diderot. He joined the group in September 2016 where he carries out research on artificial RNA regulators using cell-free systems.

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Shunichi KASHIDA did his PhD studies about RNA synthetic biology at Kyoto University, Japan. After he obtained PhD in 2012 he worked on developping a system for RNA-Protein interactome with Prof. Hirohide Saito at CiRA, Kyoto University (2014). He then spent 4 years at Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris and worked on Physical chemistry of mRNA with Dr. Zoher Gueroui. Since November 2018, he joined the group as a Post-Doc to work on morphogenesis with active matter.

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Georg Urtel (Post-doc fellow 2017-2019) studied physics at the LMU Munich, where he obtained is MSc in 2012. He stayed in Munich as a PhD student of Dieter Braun, where he worked in the field of "Origins of Life" and molecular networks until 2016. Since March 2017 he joined the group as a PostDoc to work on morphogenesis in biochemical reaction networks.

Post-Doc

Anton Zadorin (Post-doc fellow 2013-2015). He obtained his MSc in molecular biophysics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. He then moved to the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire in order to study TFIIH complex in transcription mediated by RNA polymerase II and RNA polymerase III in the group of Dr. Jean-Marc Egly. There he defended his PhD thesis in molecular and cellular biology in 2012. Looking for a natural application of his diverse multidisciplinary background, he joined the group in february 2013, where he carries out research on the engineering of chemical dynamic systems.

Post-Doc

Jonathan Lee Tin Wah (Post-doc fellow 2013-2016), obtained his PhD - entitled “Development of biomimetic systems for the study of molecular motor oscillations” - from Institut Curie, in the group of P. Martin (Active mechanosensitivity by hair cells in the inner ear). He joined the group in september 2013 as part of EU funding RiboNets project where he carries out research on programming cellular networks using newly engineered RNA based systems.

PhD student

Adrian Zambrano (PhD student 2013-2016) studied chemical engineering at University of Nevada, Reno, United States of America. He joined the group in october 2013 as part of ANR JCJC Dynano project where he carries out research on the engineering of chemical dynamic systems in microfluidic devices.

Students who came to the lab

Spring/Summer 2023. Chloé Dal Degan (Master's student M1 - Biotechnology and chemistry). CY Tech, Cergy.

Summer 2021. Dimitri Roueff (Master's student M1). Sorbonne Université, Paris.

Spring/Summer 2021. Léo Faure (Master's student M2). Institut National Universitaire Champollion, Albi.

Winter/Spring 2021. Théophile Seck (Master's student M2). ENS Paris-Saclay, Paris.

Spring 2020. Jeanne Bauduin (Master's student M1). AgroParisTech, Paris.

Winter 2020. Antonin Cardinaud (L3 student, Physics). Sorbonne Université.

Summer 2019. Clara del Junco (visiting PhD student). University of Chicago.

Spring 2019. Antoine Brezault, undergraduate student, L3 in chemistry, ENS Paris.

Spring 2018. Aina Ramamonjy (Master's student M2). ESPCI & ENS-ICFP, Paris.

Winter/Spring 2018. Moencopi Bernheim-Dennery (Master's student M2). CRI, Paris.

Summer 2017. Michael Sloyan (Master's student). University of Chicago & UPMC.

Spring 2017. Giselle McCallum (Master's student M2). CRI, Paris.

Spring 2017. Vincent Bonnet (Master's student M1). UPMC.

Spring 2017. Aymeric Boissiere (L3 student). UPMC.

Winter/Spring 2017. Ella de Gaulejac (Master's student M2). AgroParisTech & CRI, Paris.

Winter/Spring 2017. Chayma Nouajaa (Master's student M2). Université Claude Bernard, Lyon.

Summer 2016. Marjorie Haond (visiting PhD student). Université Nice Sophia Antipolis / INRA.

Winter & Summer 2016. Armin Shoushtarizadeh (L3 student). UPMC.

Winter/Spring 2016. Anis Senoussi (Master's student M2). ENS Lyon and UPMC.

Winter/Spring 2016. Vadim Dilhas (Master's student M2). UPMC.

Summer 2013. Morgane Cabon (L3 student). INSA Toulouse.

Spring/Summer 2013. Adithya Kalley (Master's student M2). Master of Science, Physics, National Institute of Technology, Surat, India.

Spring/Summer 2013. Leila Mzali (Master's student M2). Master Ingénierie Chimique, Paris Centre (CNAM, ENS, ENSCP, ESPCI, UPMC).

Spring/Summer 2013. Xavier Tassart (Master's student M2). Master Physique et Applications, Institut Galilée, Université Paris 13.

Spring/Summer 2012. Neha Garg, undergraduate student, L2 in biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur, India.

Summer 2012. Alexandra Colin, undergraduate student, L3 in chemistry, ENS Paris.

Summer 2012. Victor Rengnez, undergaduate student, L3 in physics, Université Paris Sud.

Summer 2011. Joachim Dias, undegraduate student, L2 in materials science, Imperial College, London.

Spring/Summer 2011. Ibtissam El Abdouni, master's student, M2 in materials engineering, Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne.

Summer 2011. Vivianne Saulun, master'student, M1 INSA Rennes.

Summer 2011. Adithya Kalley, undegraduate student, L2 in physics, SVNIT Surat, India.

Fall 2010. Léa Juvin, undegraduate student, L3 in chemistry, ENS Paris.