CNRS 2023: two silver and two bronze medallists at Université Côte d'Azur

CNRS Silver Medalists

The CNRS Silver Medal is awarded to researchers who are already recognized nationally and internationally. Two such researchers at Université Côte d'Azur were awarded the CNRS 2023 silver medal for their exceptional and original contribution in their respective fields of research: Laure Blanc-Feraud, CNRS research director at the Sophia Antipolis Laboratory of Computer Science, Signals and Systems - I3S (Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS) and Jean-Paul Ampuero, IRD research director at Géoazur (Université Côte d'Azur, IRD, Côte d'Azur Observatory, CNRS). 
 

Laure Blanc Féraud 

CNRS Research Director at the Sophia Antipolis Laboratory of Computer Science, Signals and Systems - I3S (CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur), Laure Blanc-Féraud conducts research at the interface between image processing and applied mathematics.
In the field of digital image processing, her main contributions involve research on a wide range of inverse problems in satellite and biological imaging. The originality of her work lies in the use of variational methods to accurately reconstruct images. For example, she has developed algorithms for deflashing satellite images (also called blind deconvolution) for the CNES. She has also participated in designing the prototype of a super-resolution optical microscope that exceeds the diffraction limit. It uses an original reconstruction algorithm to obtain resolutions that never could be reached before. Going even further, her latest work now uses artificial intelligence to process information contained in the data.
Photo credits: @ Université Côte d'Azur/A. Macarri
 

Jean-Paul Ampuero 

Director of research in seismology at IRD and holder of a chair of excellence at Université Côte d'Azur, Jean-Paul Ampuero is a specialist in earthquake mechanics and imaging at the Geoazur laboratory (IRD, Côte d'Azur Observatory, CNRS, Université Côte d'Azur).
As a seismologist, he has conducted several studies considered groundbreaking in his discipline because of their creativity, rigor and implications, and which have earned him several national and international awards. Jean-Paul Ampuero has revolutionized our understanding of seismic rupture not only through his research, which lays the foundations for theoretical thinking on the subject, but also through an innovative method for imaging large earthquakes. He has significantly contributed to the understanding of human-induced seismicity by emphasizing the need for dynamic rupture modeling and by shedding light on earthquake termination mechanisms. His recent work on distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) seismology has helped lay the foundation for this emerging field by providing a rigorous mathematical framework for data processing and interpretation.
Photo credits: @ Université Côte d'Azur/A. Macarri

"These prestigious awards are a fine illustration of the excellence of the research conducted at our university.” Noël Dimarcq, Vice-President of Research and Innovation, Université Côte d'Azur

CNRS Bronze Medalists

Astrid Lamberts

CNRS researcher at the J-L Lagrange and Artemis laboratories (CNRS, Côte d'Azur Observatory, Université Côte d'Azur), Astrid Lamberts is also an astrophysicist recognized worldwide in the field of high energy astrophysics, a major field of investigation of the evolution of the Universe.
Her research focuses on the detection of gravitational waves. She is seeking to understand how stars form and evolve to become what is currently observed or will be observed with future detectors. She is a leading figure in the astrophysical interpretation of gravitational waves and has notably coordinated research on the first coalescence of a black hole and a neutron star, within the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. Astrid Lamberts also leads an ANR project on the development of a model to evaluate coalescence resulting from the evolution of binaries and stellar clusters based on cosmological simulations. Today, the researcher is also preparing the scientific processing and analyzing of data from the European LISA project, which will be the first space interferometer designed to detect gravitational waves in a range of frequencies never explored before. 
Photo credits: @Christophe Marcadé
 

Raphaël Rapetti-Mauss

Researcher in biology at the Valrose Institute of Biology - iBV (CNRS, Inserm, Université Côte d'Azur), Raphaël Rapetti-Mauss is specialized in the study of cancer.
His interest lies in the function of ion channels in different physiopathological contexts. In his early research, he characterized pathological mutations in a calcium-activated potassium channel involved in hereditary hemolytic anemias. The researcher then turned his attention to the role of potassium channels in cancer biology. His goal was to gain a better understanding of the function of these membrane-spanning proteins in cancer-related signaling pathways for the purpose of providing essential knowledge for the design of new therapies. As part of this research, he discovered how potassium channels are involved in the communication between cancer cells and their microenvironment, which contributes to tumor growth in the early stages of cancer transformation. Raphaël Rapetti-Mauss is the co-owner of two patents submitted as a result of this major finding.
Photo credits: @ Université Côte d'Azur/A. Macarri