I am an associate professor (maître de conférences) of physics at Sorbonne Université and research the statistical physics of soft active matter, using numerical and theoretical tools, at the laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (PMMH) (CNRS, ESPCI-PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité) in Paris, France.

My current research interests revolve around the structure and dynamics of dense active matter, including

• emergent collective motion (active turbulence, dynamical heterogeneities),
• structural ordering and its interplay with collective motion,
• control of active materials.

In particular, I want to understand how macroscopic (tissue, organism, or collection scale) behaviours emerge from microscopic (molecular, cell, or individual scale) properties and symmetries, and how universal these are depending on how systems break out of equilibrium.

There are two open master internship positions in my group to track topological defects in active solids and study active turbulence with deformable self-propelled particles. Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information!

You may reach out to me in either French or English and use pronouns il/lui or he/him. I do not mind anyone not using academic titles when addressing me. I only use my shortened first name, Yann, in conversational settings.

We are organising the conference Interdisciplinary Challenges in the Physics of Complexity and Life 2026 (IntCha26) between the 20th and 24th of April 2026 at the Institut d'Études Scientifiques in Cargèse (Corsica). It aims to connect young researchers from diverse backgrounds at the interface between the physics of complex systems and biology. We will cover a broad variety of topics,

• transport across scales,
• data-driven modelling,
• active matter,
• AI and machine learning,
• cells and tissues,
• animal behaviour,
• ecology and evolution,
• non-equilibrium systems.

You can find more information on the conference website intcha26.sciencesconf.org.

Sorbonne Université
Campus Pierre et Marie Curie (Jussieu)
Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (PMMH)
Bâtiment Cassan A, 1er étage
7 quai Saint-Bernard, 75005 Paris, France

You can find a detailed route to the lab here.