Discover the 2023 thesis and honorary doctorate prizes

Thanks to its remarkable scientific potential in fundamental and applied research, Aix-Marseille Université is helping to shape public debate by contributing to the knowledge economy, disseminating knowledge and promoting scientific research. In an ever-changing world, marked by major societal and environmental transitions, these missions are of vital importance, as part of our duty to provide truth and information.

At its traditional honorary and scientific evening, in the presence of President Eric Berton, Aix-Marseille Université awards both thesis prizes and honorary doctorate. These recipients embody excellence in their respective disciplines, and bear witness to the university's high scientific standards.

Sixteen thesis prizes awarded to young doctors

These thesis prizes mark the culmination of a period of intense and intensive research. They reflect the commitment and excellence of the work carried out by the 16 PhDs rewarded. They are also an opportunity to recognize the commitment and knowledge passed on by their thesis supervisors.

Here are the doctors recognized for the quality of their thesis defended in 2022:

Mrs Camille Andrieu for her thesis Study of the involvement of oxidized protein repair in resistance to reactive chlorine species in Salmonella Typhimurium, carried out within the Life and Health Sciences doctoral school (ED 62). 
Accompanied by Benjamin Ezraty (Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne).

Mr. Yannick Becker for his thesis Origin of brain specialisation for language: a developmental and phylogenetic perspective in monkeys (Papio anubis) conducted within the Life and Health Sciences doctoral school (ED 62).
Accompanied by Adrien Meguerditchian (Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive) and Olivier Coulon (Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone).

Mr. Corentin Bernard for his thesis Perception of audio-haptic textures for new touchscreen interactions, conducted within the doctoral school Engineering Sciences: Mechanics, Physics, Micro and Nanoelectronics (ED 353).
Accompanied by Sølvi Ystad (Perception, Représentations, Image, Son, Musique) & Michaël Wiertlewski (Institut des Sciences du Mouvement).

Mrs Annamaria Bianco for her thesis "Adab al-malǧa'": representing refuge in the Arab novel of the 21^st century, conducted within the doctoral school Spaces, Cultures, Societies (ED 355).
Accompanied by Richard Jacquemond (Institut de recherches et d'études sur le monde arabe et musulman) & Monica Ruocco (University of Naples).

Mrs Anne-Sophie Canto for her thesis The deconstruction of the Mafia myth in contemporary literature, submitted to the doctoral school Languages, literature and arts (ED 354).
Accompanied by Claudio Milanesi (Centre Aixois d'Etudes Romanes).

Mr. Mohamed-Sami Cherif for his thesis Reasoning and inference for (maximum) satisfiability: new insights, carried out within the Mathematics and Computer Science of Marseille doctoral school (ED 184).
Accompanied by Djamal Habet and Richard Ostrowski (Laboratoire d'Informatique et Systèmes).

Mrs Céline Chidaine for her thesis The protection of vulnerable adults in the European Civil Judicial Area, submitted to the Legal and political sciences doctoral school (ED 67). 
Accompanied by Vincent Egéa (Laboratoire de droit privé et de sciences criminelles).

Mrs Zoë Dubus for her thesis Medicines or poisons? Doctors, medicine and psychotropic drugs from the 19^th century to the present day in France, conducted within the Spaces, Cultures, Societies doctoral school (ED 355).
Accompanied by Anne Carol (Temps, espaces, langages, Europe méridionale, Méditerranée) and Vincent Barras (IHM, CHUV de Lausanne, Switzerland).

Mrs Mona Ezzadeen for her thesis Design of a circuit dedicated to in-memory computing based on innovative 3D technology, conducted within the Engineering Sciences: Mechanics, Physics, Micro and Nanoelectronics doctoral school (ED 353).
Accompanied by Jean-Michel Portal (Institut Matériaux Microélectronique Nanosciences de Provence).

Mr. Vincent Giovannini for his thesis Massive data and competition law, carried out within the Legal and political sciences doctoral school (ED 67).
Accompanied by David Bosco (Centre de Droit Economique).

Mrs Camille Grasso for her thesis Processing abstract words: how the body and movement anchor the concept of time in our cognitive architecture, carried out within the Cognition, Langage, Education doctoral school (ED 356).
Accompanied by Johannes Ziegler and Marie Montant (Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive).

Mrs Marie Juramy for her thesis Study of nucleation by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and dynamic nuclear polarization, carried out within the Chemical Sciences doctoral school (ED 250).
Accompanied by Pierre Thureau and Stéphane Viel (Institut de Chimie Radicalaire).

Mr. Térence Legrand for his thesis Influence of multi-scale connectivity via larval dispersal on population structure and biodiversity patterns in the Mediterranean Sea, carried out within the Environmental Sciences doctoral school (ED 251).
Accompanied by Anne Chenuil (Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie) and Vincent Rossi (Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie).

Mrs Julieta Peveri for her thesis Political selection and quality of governance, conducted within the Economics and Management doctoral school (ED 372).
Accompanied by Marc Sangnier and Nicolas Berman (Aix-Marseille School of Economics).

Mrs Marta Maria Torre for her thesis Cognitive-motor interactions in older adults: characterization, evaluation, and training, conducted within the Sciences of human movement doctoral school (ED 463).
Accompanied by Jean-Jacques Temprado (Institut des Sciences du Mouvement).

Mr. Robin Varennes for his thesis Flow drive in tokamak plasmas: competition and synergies between turbulence and neoclassical effects, submitted to the Physics and Matter Sciences doctoral school (ED 352).
Accompanied by Laure Vermare and Xavier Garbet (CEA Cadarache).

Four honorary doctorates awarded for long-standing collaborations

The honorary doctorate is the most eminent distinction in the academic world. It is rich in meaning and symbolism. The four recipients are already recognized internationally for the contributions and knowledge they have brought to the international scientific community over the years. This distinction is also a lasting mark of their time at Aix-Marseille Université and the strong links they have forged within the various research units.

Here are the four distinguished professors:

Prof. Bassam Badran, Professor of Molecular Biology and President of the Lebanese University. He was introduced by Eric Berton, President of Aix-Marseille Université.

Pr. Balaraman Kalyanaraman, Professor in the Department of Biophysics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Harry R. and Angeline E. Quadracci Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research and founder of the Free Radical Research Center. He was introduced by his collaborators from the Institut de Chimie Radicalaire: Didier Gigmes, CNRS Director, Olivier Ouari, University Professor, Hakim Karoui, Senior Lecturer and Micael Hardy, Senior Lecturer.

Prof. Liette Lapointe, Professor of Management Sciences, McGill University, Desautels Faculty of Management, currently Bronfman Chair in Information Technology Management. She was introduced by her collaborator from the Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille: Serge Amabile, Professor of Management and Management Sciences, Deputy Director of CERGAM.

Prof. Constantin Sigov, researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Professor of Philosophy at the National University Academy Mohyla in Kiev. He was introduced by his collaborator Alexis Nuselovici, professor of general and comparative literature at the Centre interdisciplinaire d'étude des littératures d'Aix-Marseille.

A special place in the AMU community

All the people honored at this ceremony have in common the fact that they have shared their research, thoughts and advances with members of the wider scientific community at Aix-Marseille Université. As such, they now occupy a privileged place within our community, and we thank them for it.