François Alouges is an expert in numerical analysis and the mathematical modeling of complex phenomena. For many years, he has been conducting research in three main areas: wave propagation, low-Reynolds-number locomotion, and micromagnetism. His research has numerous applications. In the field of wave propagation, he uses spatial audio and augmented reality techniques to guide visually impaired individuals during sports activities. A central focus of this project is to develop audio guidance systems that do not require a screen, which could prove particularly useful for pedestrian navigation in the future. His work on low-Reynolds-number locomotion opens the door to the development of microsubmarines for non-invasive surgery, as well as to a better understanding of sperm cell swimming. Finally, micromagnetism could lead to the development of non-volatile computer memory that is more cost-effective than current memory technologies.

Nicolas Andreff is a Professor at Université de Franche-Comté (Besançon, France) since september 2009, with the task of developing a research activity on medical micro-robotics. From 2000 to 2009, he was an Associate Professor at the Institut Français de Mécanique Avance, Clermont-Ferrand. In parallel, he was developing a novel research activity dedicated to Vision-based Modeling, Identification and Control of Parallel Kinematic Machines. He also made some steps in bipedal robotics during his Post-Doc at INRIA Rhône-Alpes (BIP project) in 2000.

Sébastien Michelin is a distinguished Professor of Fluid Mechanics at LadHyx, École Polytechnique, whose research centers on the modeling and control of active fluids, a field critical to the study of micro-swimmers for which he is presenting at this conference. His work rigorously investigates both biological systems, such as ciliated micro-organisms, and synthetic active matter like droplets and colloids, with a core focus on the complex low Reynolds number hydrodynamics that govern viscous self-propulsion and the collective, non-equilibrium dynamics of these systems. As the recipient of the ERC Starting Grant (CollectSwim), his research addresses fundamental challenges in understanding how groups of self-propelled particles interact and move, using applied mathematics and advanced numerical methods to solve the coupled multi-physics problems inherent to optimizing micro-swimmer locomotion and understanding propulsion mechanisms near boundaries.

Clément Moreau is a CNRS researcher affiliated with the Laboratory of Digital Sciences of Nantes (LS2N). He obtained his PhD from Université Côte d’Azur in 2020 on controllability of nonlinear systems in finite and infinite dimension. He then held a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS) in Kyoto University. His research interests span nonlinear control theory, mathematical modeling, and applications to biological and robotic locomotion, primarily in the field of microscopic swimming. In particular, he has worked on models of magnetically controlled soft microrobots and on the control of particles with external fluid interactions.

With over 10 years of experience in microrobotics, Ali Oulmas is now the VP of Research at Robeauté (Paris), a company pioneering a new class of therapeutic microrobots engineered to diagnose, treat, and monitor the brain with high flexibility and precision. Ali Oulmas completed his PhD at the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) under the supervision of Stéphane Régnier, member of the "RPI-Bio" team and of Nicolas Andreff from the FEMTO-St Intitute. During his PhD, Ali Oulmas studied the control of microswimmers operating in low Reynolds number fluids. The objective of his thesis was to develop generic motion control laws using visual servoing in 3D space for various types of nonholonomic microswimmers, as well as to establish comparison criteria to evaluate the performance of different swimmer geometries and propulsion modes for specific tasks. These control strategies were experimentally validated on two types of robots—helical and flexible—actuated by a uniform magnetic field, mimicking the locomotion mechanisms of bacteria and sperm cells, respectively.

Lucas Palazzolo  is a PhD student in Applied Mathematics at the INRIA Centre at Université Côte d’Azur, within the CALISTO project team (Stochastic Approaches for Complex Flows and Environment). The CALISTO team brings together a unique synergy of physics, mathematics, and computational approaches to solve complex environmental simulation models involving particle-laden flows and to tackle related challenges. Among these, the team develops numerical methods to analyze the motion of microswimmers in various fluids such as water and non-Newtonian bodily fluids, and designs strategies to optimize and control the movement of artificial microswimmers.

Fabien Vergnet is an Associate Professor at Sorbonne University and a member of the Jacques-Louis Lions Laboratory (LJLL, Paris, France). he is also member of the COMMEDIA project-team at INRIA Paris. His main research interests focus on the mathematical study of fluid-structure interaction problems with biomedical applications and the development of numerical methods for solving transmission problems. He was previously a postdoctoral researcher at École Polytechnique under the supervision of Aline Lefebvre. He completed his PhD at the Mathematics Laboratory of Orsay (LMO) at Paris-Saclay University. The aim of his thesis was the modeling, mathematical analysis, and numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction problems involving active structures capable of self-deformation through internal constraints, and a low Reynolds number fluid, modeled by the Stokes equations.

Kirsty Wan is a Professor of Cellular and Biophysical Dynamics at the Living Systems Institute (LSI) and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. She is also Director of Global Engagement and co-lead of the Physics of Life theme at the LSI and Senior Academic Lead for the Maths for Health and Life Sciences group at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Her lab explores how cells and small organisms control and orchestrate complex behaviours. They integrate experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches to explore fundamental biological questions such as how aneural single-celled organisms actuate their motility appendages for swimming. They are particularly interested in understanding the origins and diversification of cilia, also known as eukaryotic flagella, which are evolutionarily conserved across phyla. They pioneer novel biophysical approaches to understanding ciliary form, function, and coordination in diverse species.

Marta Zoppello is a researcher at the Politecnico di Torino, working in the Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche “G. L. Lagrange” (DISMA). Her research lies at the intersection of mathematical physics, geometric control theory, and fluid dynamics, with particular interests in control and motion of micro-swimmers in viscous fluids ; fluid–solid interaction and biomechanics and optimal control. She has co-authored several influential papers, such as on the controllability of slender microswimmers and control of hydrodynamic interactions between microparticles/microswimmers. Marta Zoppello earned her PhD in Mathematics from the University of Padova and has held postdoctoral positions, including at the University of Trento, Padova, Verona and Torino. She has a wide network of collaborations both in Italy and abroad on the Microswimmers topic.