Since its creation in 2009, the Mathematical Modelling and Biodiversity Chair (MMB), supported by École Polytechnique and its Foundation, in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History and supported by Veolia, has been exploring the major challenges of biodiversity at the interface between applied mathematics and ecology. Through interdisciplinary research programmes, scientific meetings and training initiatives, the Chair brings together nearly 150 experts from international laboratories and research institutions to address fundamental questions about population dynamics, evolution and ecosystem resilience.
Nanomaterials are much talked-about, but the methods for making them are still the subject of fundamental research, especially when high temperatures are required. At the Laboratory of Condensed Matter for Physics, a research team is exploring new ways of synthesizing them, using molten salts and lasers.
From spring 2026, École Polytechnique's X-UP incubator will offer honor loans for the deep tech projects it hosts and supports. These honorary loans, supported by École Polytechnique’s Foundation and averaging €40,000 per project, will finance the start-ups' priority operations, leverage other funding, and accelerate the growth of the projects concerned.
Arthur Mensch (X2011), co-founder and CEO of Mistral, the French AI gem, came to meet École Polytechnique students for a talk on entrepreneurship and the implications of AI, two topics which he addressed by echoing his School's motto: “For the Nation, for Sciences, and for Glory.”
After studying science, where she developed a passion for computer science, Manon Blanc completed a PhD at the École Polytechnique's Computer Science Laboratory (LIX*). She has received the Saclay Plateau STIC PhD Prize and the L'Oréal-UNESCO Young Talents Prize. Interview.
Since 2019, the Chair in Space Science and Challenges, led by Professor Pascal Chabert and supported by ArianeGroup, Safran and the École Polytechnique Foundation, has affirmed École Polytechnique's commitment to training future experts in the space sector. Based on demanding scientific teaching, ambitious space projects carried out at the Student Space Centre (CSEP), visits to industrial sites, meetings with industry players, and the development of real space missions, the Chair is positioned as a strategic lever for preparing talented individuals capable of meeting the major technological and societal challenges of tomorrow's aerospace industry.
Experiments reveal defects in the structure of superionic water at high pressures, a phase that remains mysterious and could be present inside planets such as Uranus and Neptune. This is the result of an international collaboration led by scientists from the Intense Lasers Laboratory (LULI*), the University of Rostock, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and other European and American institutions**. It is published in Nature Communications
École Polytechnique was involved in the Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate change through its observer status as an independent non-governmental research organization. This involvement, which took the form of sending a representative, Joan Delort Ylla, a research engineer at the Laboratory of Dynamic Meteorology (LMD), and organizing events on campus, is part of the School's commitment to ecological transition as outlined in its Climate Plan.
A collaboration involving researchers from the Center for Theoretical Physics (CPHT*) has proposed a theoretical formalism that provides a description of gravity and gravitational waves at the “edge” of the universe. This breakthrough could provide tools for unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Clémie Teston is studying for a dual degree at École Polytechnique and HEC Paris. This programme enables her to pursue her passion for science, particularly mathematics, while developing her management skills. This year, she organised the X-Forum with almost 60 École Polytechnique students, putting her knowledge to good use. This annual, two-day event is entirely dedicated to employability and student–business relations.
As part of their advanced studies, third-year Cycle Ingénieur Polytechnicien students can opt for experimental mechanics courses. Nine sessions allow them to develop a scientific project at the cutting edge of theory and practice. Twenty projects are currently underway, several of which focus on environmental issues.
The Biomedical Engineering (BME) Seed Grant sponsorship programme, led by Abdul Barakat and supported by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation and École Polytechnique and its Foundation, will come to an end in late 2025, after nearly seven years dedicated to innovation in biomedical engineering. On 20 November, during the 4th annual forum of the Engineering for Health (E4H) Interdisciplinary Centre, a dedicated session honoured the 11 winning projects, celebrated the advances they have enabled and highlighted the scientific and human impact of this structuring programme.
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