Léa Cailly Brandstäter, doctoral student at Mines Paris – PSL, winner of the Prix Pierre Laffitte 2024

On Friday October 18, our Sophia Antipolis campus played host to a landmark event in doctoral research, the 8th Prix Pierre Laffitte. The prize, which recognizes innovative work by doctoral students in their second year of study, brought together researchers, students and partners to celebrate excellence and innovation in the many fields of research in partnership with industry. The 12 candidates had to demonstrate the extent to which their work is having, or will have, a major impact on the dynamism and renewal of French industry.

Congratulations go to Léa Cailly Brandstäter, a doctoral student at the Centre de Mise en Forme des Matériaux at Mines Paris – PSL, whose thesis entitled “Secrets of Mussel-Inspired Bioadhesives for Tomorrow’s Surgery” stood out from the rest. Her research explores mold-inspired bioadhesives, paving the way for promising advances in surgery. A visionary work that illustrates the concrete impact of science on the technologies of the future.

A word from Léa Cailly Brandstäter :

“This award is a fine recognition of the teamwork with my supervisors Rudy Valette and Romain Castellani. My work concerns the mechanics of viscoelastic fluids, in particular adhesives, and I study how these materials deform and dissipate energy. As a rheologist, I focus on the mechanical aspects. My research focuses on bioadhesives inspired by mussels, small marine creatures capable of clinging to surfaces under the most extreme conditions. By studying their adhesion mechanisms, we can develop innovative adhesives that could revolutionize medicine, particularly surgery, by replacing stitches and staples with faster, less invasive solutions.”

We would also like to salute our other doctoral finalists who proudly represented the excellence of the École: Eleni Effraimopoulou, Thibault Goessel, Pauline Hahn and Theodore Michel. Their work testifies to the dynamism of research at our institution.