Originally from France, I graduated from the University of Franche-Comté in Besançon, earning a Diplôme d'Études Approfondies (DEA, equivalent to a master’s degree) in 1995, followed by a Ph.D. in Engineering and Physical Sciences in 1999. My doctoral research focused on the fundamental study of nonlinear optical effects in optical fibers, including parametric amplification and stimulated Raman scattering. After completing my Ph.D., I undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium. There, my work centered on passively mode-locked fiber lasers and Raman amplification for telecommunications applications. In 2001, I joined the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) as a full-time researcher at the FEMTO-ST Institute in Besançon, France. My research initially focused on broadband and ultrafast parametric and Raman fiber amplifiers for telecommunications. In 2006, I earned the French Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR), granting me the authority to supervise Ph.D. students. From 2010 to 2020, I led the Nonlinear Optics group at FEMTO-ST, overseeing a decade of innovative research. Currently, my work involves supervising theoretical and experimental investigations into fundamental nonlinear optical phenomena, with a focus on their potential applications in telecommunications, fiber lasers, supercontinuum generation, and fiber sensors.
I am a senior member of The Optical Society of America (now OPTICA) and an active member of SPIE, the French Society of Optics (SFO), and the European Optical Society (EOS). In recognition of my contributions to the field of nonlinear photonics, I was honored with the Fabry-de-Gramont Award by the SFO in 2012 and the OPTICA fellow member in 2024.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating and useful applications of nonlinear optics : The optical parametric oscillator (OPO), a widely tunable laser source. Photo taken with a Canon digital camera EOS 1100 D, T. Sylvestre (2010)