January 2021, elevated to both OSA & IEEE Fellows
OSA Fellow nomination: For pioneering studies of nonlinear dynamics in optoelectronics, and the development of novel architectures for photonic artificial intelligence
IEEE Fellow nomination: For contributions to optoelectronic delay oscillators and neuromorphic processing applications
November 2017 - September 2020, EIPHI Graduate School coordinator:
Successful result of a highly selective national call for setting up a French Graduate School model between the two laboratories FEMTO-ST, ICB and the IMB. The 10 year project called EIPHI (Engineering and Innovation through Physical sciences, High-technologies and cross-dIsciplinary research) is carried by University Bourgogne Franche-Comté and coordinated by LL. It obtained M€ 13 funding to develop an international education program of excellence at the Master and PhD levels, on the basis of the research developed by all the associated laboratories and their research expertise (Engineering, Applied Physics, Physical Sciences, Mathematics for Applications), mixing in a fruitful and cross-fertilizing way:
- international mobility (lectures in English, involvement of several international partner universities),
- cross-disciplinary mind opening (between at least two fields among Photonic, Energy, Applied Mechanics, Robotics and Control Theory, Chemistry, Micro-Nano-System fabrication, Quantum Physics, Mathematics, Computer Sciences),
- high-technology know-how (involving several high-tech platforms),
- innovation and transfer (soft skills in close connection with industry, economy and society).
February 2017: The world's fastest neuromorphic computer published in Physical Review X
A FEMTO-ST specific approach (complex phase delay feedback loop) successfully led to the world fastest experimentally demonstrated neuromorphic processor. The results published is the high impact journal Physical Review X, was selected as the top 1% result in APS journals (Physics Viewpoint), and it was also highlighted in Nature.
September 2016 - : President of FC'INNOV foundation (innovation & transfer)
FC'INNOV is a private law non-profit foundation dedicated, dedicated to the construction of a continuum from the research output of the FEMTO-ST institute toward innovation and tranfer for the economy of the society. The business unit, and the disseminated marketing brand of the foundation is known as FEMTO-Engineering. Diverse activities are successfully developed at FEMTO-Engineering, based on the research know-how and expertise at FEMTO-ST, to help climbing the ladder of TRLs (Technology Readiness Levels) from 3-4 (research demonstrators) up to 9 (commercially viable and available). A few topics are addressed by 15 employees, such as cryogenic sapphire oscillator (TRL 9), femto-second laser machining (TRL 7), electrical and thermal system modeling (TRL 6) for energy systems (asynchronous electrical motors and cooling systems), design of specific Stirling motors (TRL 5), Fuel Cell electro-generator (TRL 9, spin-off H2SYS), micro-fabrication with clean room facilities (TRL 6 to 8) for diverse sectors (space applications, dedicated photonic chips substrates, biochips for proteomic, luxury watch industry).
June 2016 - December 2023: Director at FEMTO-ST
Director of the FEMTO-ST institute, a heavy administrative responsibility, dedicated to the management of one of the largest CNRS-affilliated research institute in France (330 permanent staff including 260 researchers; in total about 800 members when including PhD, postdocs and visitors), in the field of Applied Physics and Engineering sciences.
September 2013: Chimera states discovered in delay systems
Full Professor (PREX) at University of Franche-Comté (UFC).
Affiliated to the FEMTO-ST Institute, UMR CNRS 6174, Optics Dept., OPTO group.
Publication of the numerical and experimental observation of the 1st Chimera state in delay systems (cover of a PRL issue, see Figure, collaboration with Y. Maistrenko from the Ukraine Academy of Science). The article became a top cited one in 2017, in the field of Physics (Web of Science).
January 2012: Deputy director at FEMTO-ST; President of its scientific council; First photonic Reservoir Computer
Deputy Director of the FEMTO-ST institute.
Member of the National University Council (CNU), designated by the Ministry of Higher Education (63rd academic section).
Publication of the 1st photonic Reservoir Computer within the EU project PHOCUS (in collaboration with IFISC and VUB Brussels).
Editorial board member for Scientific Reports (Nature Publ. Group)
September 2009
Full Professor (PR1) at University of Franche-Comté in Besançon, France.
September 2007-September 2012
Junior member at the Institut universitaire de France (IUF) 17th promotion, section Physics. This a 5-years position obtained after a highly selective national application, intended to promote and support high level researchers/professors with 2/3 reduction of the usual teaching load. The main scientific achievements during that period are the followings:
- Start of a novel research direction oriented towards the limit cycle (periodic) oscillations of optoelectronic delay dynamics, with ultra long delays, for application to ultra-high spectral purity microwave sources (short term stability Time-Frequency sources for Radar & Telecom applications). Coordinator of the ANR project O2E, 2005-2008.
- Start of investigations on the fabrication process for optical disk resonators in MgF2 with several millimeter diamaters (for microwave Free Spectral Range), as an alternative optical solution for storing the microwave energy carried by a modulated light in an optoelectronic oscillator (within the O2E project).
- Development of a microwave phase noise measurement bench involving cross-correlation and fiber delay lines.
- Development of novel electro-optic phase dynamics setup involving a nonlocal nonlinearity via an imbalanced interferometer. Main investigator of the EU project PICASSO (FP6, ICT, 2006-2009, coordinated by University of Athens).
- Experimental investigation of mutually coupled intensity chaos setups with a relay element, and demonstration of distant isochronous chaos synchronization (within the PICASSO project).
- Successful field experiment of state of the art optical chaos communication @ 10Gb/s in Besançon (on the "Lumière brothers" ring fiber network), through the use of the phase chaos setup (within the PICASSO project).
- Start of a new research direction on photonic neuromorphic computing, a novel computational principle inspired by neural network computing (ESN) and brain research (LSM), also called Reservoir Computing (RC). Main investigator in the EU project PHOCUS (FET FP7, coordinated by the IFISC, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 2010-2013). Invited professor position at the IFISC (Palma, Spain), May-July 2010.
- Experimental observation and analytical description of a stable single-delay periodic square wave with variable duty cycle in a nonlinear delay dynamics (known for decades as unstable solution for the standard scalar delay differential equations; collaboration with T. Erneux, ULB, Brussels).
- Elected as a member of the Scientific Council of UFC (2008-2012).
September 2005:
Associate Professor (PR2) at the UFC, in the 30th academic section (Physics, Optics).
Investigating the fundamental properties of broadband chaos generator; discrete and continuous time dynamics with CW and pulsed laser sources seeding the intensity EO setups. Observation of chaotic breathers.
July 2002 - December 2005:
Head of the joint US-French laboratory GTL-CNRS Telecom (now UMI 2958) in Metz, France, the European plateform of Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA.
Adjunct faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Important investigation towards practical, reliable and fast optical chaos communication systems involving an electro-optic intensity nonlinear delayed feedback loop. Field experiment in Athens, with a Nature publication, within the EU projet OCCULT (2001-2004).
September 1999 - December 2005:
Participation in the research activities of GTL-CNRS Telecom, newly created in 1999 in Metz, France, a joint laboratory between the French CNRS and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA.
Exploring from the theory and the application to chaos communications, various optoelectronic setups performing a nonlinear delay differential dynamical system (Wavelength chaos, FM chaos, chaos via coherence modulation of a broadband light source, bandpass vs. lowpass dynamics, electro-optic intensity chaos, phase chaos with a fiber ring cavity).
September 1998:
Assistant Professor in the 63rd academic section (Photonics and Electrical Enginerering), University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France.
Continuing the research on Wavelength Chaos setup, developing and exploring the electronic equivalent with FM chaos.
September 1997 - September 1998:
Physics lecturer as a PRAG (Professeur Agrégé) at the Technical University in Nîmes, SGM department.
January 1997 - September 1997:
Assistant lecturer in Physics and temporary associate researcher as ATER at the UFC.
January 1994 - January 1997:
Assistant lecturer in Physics as AMN during the PhD thesis at the UFC (Thesis on Chaotic wavelength laser for physical layer optical encryption, advisor Prof. Jean-Pierre Goedgebuer).
September 1992 - December 1993:
R&D engineer jointly at Hommelwerke GmbH (Villingen-Schwenningen) and the Fraunhofer Institute in Freiburg, Germany, during a scientific civil service (VSNE). Contribution to the development of an optical distance measurement system using a Silicium integrated optics chip performing a Michelson interferometer (wavelength stability issues when coupling the visible SC laser chip to the integrated optics chip). Contribution to the development of the first industrial near field acoustic sensor (acoustic wave produced by a quartz fork vibrating at 30kHz) for a contactless roughness measurement systems.
September 88 - September 1992:
Student at the state School (ENS Cachan, renamed ENS Paris-Saclay in 2014) in Physics, department A'2, option Electrical Engineering and Control Theory.