To mark the PSL 2022 Doctoral ceremony, six new PhD graduates talk about their study path and their future projects

“The dissertation is a personal journey that helps us grow”

Marie Kerekes, PhD in Management Sciences (Marketing) – dissertation at Dauphine - PSL
Dissertation subject: Individuals’ connection to social robots and its role in the appropriation process

Would you introduce yourself?

I started my university career in a literary preparatory class at Lycée Henri IV. Then I joined the Grande École program at the NEOMA Business School on the Reims campus. As part of my Master’s degree program, I studied for a semester at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Winterthur, Switzerland. After this, I was accepted on the Management Sciences doctoral program at Dauphine - PSL, during which I was able to spend four months on a research assignment at the University of Fribourg, in Switzerland. While working on my dissertation, I was also a research assistant and responsible for the Experimental laboratory at Dauphine - PSL. I was then awarded a doctoral contract, which enabled me to devote myself to research and teaching, again at Dauphine - PSL.

What is your dissertation subject?

My dissertation is called Individuals’ connection to social robots and its role in the appropriation process. In a context of social robots as an emerging technology in our societies, marketing seeks to understand how to persuade consumers to adopt them. To contribute to this debate, my dissertation defends the concept of the connection between individuals and social robots and studies its role in the process of appropriating the robot, or integrating it into consumers’ everyday life.
It is based on three essays and defines the relationship with social robots as a fairly pleasant personal connection between the individual and the robot, a connection that may be constructed or destroyed, and which testifies to the individual’s vision of the world. This research therefore offers a definition of the relationship with social robots and proposes a final stage in the process of appropriating the robot: a phase of “glorification”, where consumers create objects in the image of their robot. Through this work, I hope to gain a better understanding of how social robots can contribute to people’s well-being.

Is there a moment that was particularly notable during your PhD?

In my first year, I remember that a Management Sciences lecturer said to me and other doctoral students that the dissertation is in a way a kind of psychoanalysis. We don’t choose our dissertation subject at random: it necessarily has meaning for us and represents a problem that we personally wish to solve. These words resonated deeply with me: in addition to seeking to provide an answer to questions that companies or society ask themselves, the dissertation is a personal journey that helps us grow.

Where will your career take you next?

Since October 2022, I have been working at ESSEC Business School as a postdoctoral fellow and responsible for the school’s Experimental laboratory. I hope to continue to work in academia for the next few years. I enjoy my research in the field of technology, and I hope I can be useful to society by continuing to do so.

“It was from this moment that I realized that my work had meaning”

Jules Bourdelle de Micas, PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics, dissertation at the Observatoire de Paris - PSL
Dissertation subject: The composition of primordial asteroids, vestiges of the population of planetesimals and members of the most ancient families

Would you introduce yourself?

I am originally from Paris, where I also did my studies. After a scientific Baccalaureate, I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Physics at the Université Paris Cité (formerly Paris 7 Diderot). Next, I enrolled for a Master’s degree in Space Science and Technology (SUTS) at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, where I specialized in planetology in my second year. Before starting my dissertation, I did a year of scientific mediation with the Planète Sciences association, where my job was essentially to introduce the world of astronomy and robotics to the general public, especially to young people. I finally started work on my dissertation in 2019, at the Laboratory for Space Science and Astrophysical Instrumentation (LESIA), at the Observatoire de Paris - PSL.

What is your dissertation subject?

My dissertation is a study of the mineralogy of the oldest asteroids, located in a region of our solar system called the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. First of all, a team of researchers from the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, in Nice, used a technique to identify asteroid families, the aim being to catalogue all of these families in one of the sub-regions of the main belt. They were thus able to identify asteroid families of a similar age to the solar system and also asteroids called planetesimals, which have managed to remain more or less intact since their formation. I then carried out a series of observations, using several international telescopes, in order to characterize their mineralogy and understand their evolution since they were formed.

Is there a moment that was particularly notable during your PhD?

I remember when I published my first scientific article. After 2 years of intense work, I was able to submit the first version of my paper to a scientific journal. Feedback from reviewers was very positive. It was from this moment that I realized that my work had meaning and that it could be of interest to others in their research.

Where will your career take you next?

If all goes well, I would like to continue in the world of research. I have landed a postdoctoral contract at the Rome Observatory for a year to 18 months. After this, I would like to continue to work on postdoctoral fellowships, until I manage to get a permanent post in France, perhaps at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, who knows? I also intend to apply to the European Space Agency in order to round off my international experience. If I come back to France, I would also like to become a university teacher, to inspire future generations to carry out research.

“Between Sociology, Educational Sciences and History, my study path has been multidisciplinary to say the least”

Karine Mondésir-Sitcharn, PhD in History – dissertation at ENS - PSL
Dissertation subject: One generation from Algeria to the French West Indies? A socio-history of young French West Indians from the Algerian War to 1972

Would you introduce yourself?

I am a history and geography teacher at the Jardin d’Essai Lycée, in Guadeloupe. Over the last 6 years, I have set up a course to prepare for the French “Preparatory classes”, called “Arts and culture for excellence”, in coordination with Lycée Henri-IV in Paris and as part of the Cordée de la réussite scheme (Roped together for success), aimed at disadvantaged pupils, to provide them with what Bourdieu called “cultural capital”. My university career has certainly been multidisciplinary. I first obtained a Master’s degree in History with a minor in Sociology at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, then a Master’s degree in Educational Sciences at the University of the French West Indies. Lastly, I met the sociologist Florence Weber, who agreed to supervise my doctoral dissertation at the École normale supérieure - PSL jointly with historian Frédéric Turpin.

What is your dissertation subject?

My dissertation subject stems from an interview with a Guadeloupean veteran of the Algerian War, who explained the reasons for his unwillingness to talk about his war experience to my students. This dissertation, called One generation from Algeria to the French West Indies? A socio-history of young French West Indians from the Algerian War to 1972, paints a sociological portrait of young people moving between the French West Indies, Algeria and mainland France. It shows how the context of the Algerian War was an indicator of political identity for a sizeable minority of French students and particularly for those from the West Indies. It also shows how the experience of war in Algeria brought to light a certain conception of national identity. My dissertation suggests ways to imagine a common language between elites and the working classes, so that joint mobilizations would be possible. It revises the historiography on de Gaulle and French power by highlighting anthropological and geostrategic motivations and the key role of the French Overseas Departments and Territories.

Is there a moment that was particularly notable during your PhD?

During all these years of research, I have been touched by the trust that my 74 interviewees placed in me. During an interview in Martinique, one person confided that for more than 60 years he had been hiding secret archives in his home of a Guadaloupean separatist group, the GONG (Groupe d’organisation nationale de la Guadeloupe) dating from the 1960s. I informed the activists in this group, who were then able to recover their archives and gave me a copy for my dissertation. I am particularly pleased that I was able to persuade them to hand over these documents to the departmental archives of Guadeloupe. This donation will be useful in future for the writing of history.

Where will your career take you next?

In February 2023, I qualified as a university lecturer in history, and since then I have worked on expert history assignments for the Departmental Council of Guadeloupe and for a public intermunicipal cooperation (CAP Excellence) in Guadeloupe. I am also a consultant in a computer engineering company in charge of developing the digital archive and library sector, and I am working with the rectorate of Guadeloupe on creating a link between the university and the senior high school class to introduce students to research. A team of high school teachers will produce history lessons in the Creole language on the inhabitants of the French West Indies and the Algerian War based on information in my dissertation.
I am also preparing a document for the departmental archives website about the French West Indies and the Algerian War, based on my dissertation. Given my professional background and my areas of research, I intend, in the long term, to apply for a position as a lecturer in educational sciences.

 

“Teaching allows me to give real meaning to the knowledge I have acquired and to build social ties”

Lorenzo Ciccione, PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences – dissertation at the Collège de France
Dissertation subject: The cognitive and neural bases of the perception and understanding of graphs.

Would you introduce yourself?

My university career started at the University of Trento, in Italy, where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Psychology. I then continued my studies in Paris, at ENS - PSL as part of their international selection. During these three years at the École Normale, as part of Cogmaster, I had the opportunity to study all the cognitive science disciplines: psychology, neurosciences, artificial intelligence, philosophy, etc. My love of research led me to a PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, supervised by Professor Stanislas Dehaene, at the Collège de France.

What is your dissertation subject?

My dissertation subject concerns the cognitive and neural bases of the perception and understanding of graphs. In other words, I study how our mind and brain are able to extract statistical information from graphs. In particular, I studied human biases in reading graphs representing exponential curves: our research team discovered that the reason why we underestimate exponential growth so much, of the rise in COVID cases, for example, is because of a difficulty in extracting the acceleration of the curve from noisy data. We also discovered that, when faced with scatter plots, such as those of stock market prices, humans estimate increases or decreases that are much faster than the real trend. This bias could have major impacts, but these are often underestimated.

Is there a moment that was particularly notable during your PhD?

Probably the event that affected me most was when I won Brainstorm 2020, an international prize for young researchers in the neurosciences, awarded by the Mind Science Foundation. Winning this prize enabled me to attend several international conferences and to finance some of my research projects.

Where will your career take you next?

At the moment I have a postdoctoral fellowship and I hope to continue my career as a teacher. During the years I spent working on my dissertation, I did a lot of teaching at the university and I realized that I did not see myself with a career devoted solely to research. Teaching allows me to give real meaning to the knowledge I’ve acquired over the years, as well as building social ties, which is sometimes difficult in the pure research environment.

 

“At first, a doctorate was not a possibility. For me it was simply out of reach”

Karina Bénazech Wendling, PhD in History and Anthropology of religion – dissertation at EPHE - PSL
Dissertation subject: Education, the Bible and Souperism in Ireland, 1800-1853: the Irish Society for Promoting the Education of the Native Irish through the Medium of their Own Language

Would you introduce yourself?

My study path could be entitled “From the suburbs to EPHE”. For some, a doctorate is something that they have had in their sights for a long time, but for me this was far from the case. I come from a family that was not well-off and grew up in the working-class suburbs, and my horizons reached as far as a Bachelor’s degree, with civil service exams being the absolute pinnacle. A doctorate wasn’t even a possibility, it was out of reach. So my study path is far from being a straight line.
My taste for studying appeared quite late, after several years in teaching. It was while I was preparing for the Agrégation exam, specifically studying the Great Famine in Ireland from 1845 to 1851, that I was bitten by the research bug with the result that I returned to my studies aged 40 and obtained a Master’s degree at the University of Strasbourg.
I am particularly grateful to my PhD advisers Patrick Cabanel and Professor Peter Gray for supporting my project and believing in my abilities, with the result that I was privileged to embark on a PhD program at EPHE - PSL.

What is your dissertation subject?

My dissertation revisited the question of Protestant proselytizing in Ireland over a relatively long period of time, from the passing of the Act of Union in 1800 to the last throes of the Great Famine. Some assertions of mercenary proselytizing that appeared in the press during the famine were presented as evidence in the historiography, which I then examined against a large corpus of sources, both Catholic and Protestant.
The conclusion of my dissertation confirms the initial research hypothesis on the key role played by the vernacular schools and Bible and highlights the existence of a Protestant cultural patriotism, forerunner of the Gaelic Revival in the second half of the 19th century. By focusing on the different protagonists, be it the convert, the missionary or the administrators representing the Empire, a backdrop emerges of a clash of two empires: the British colonial empire and the Catholic empire.

Is there a moment that was particularly notable during your PhD?

I realize how privileged I was during my research to be able to consult original archives or archives that are difficult to access, like those of the Propaganda Fide at the Vatican or the manuscript of the first translation of the Bible into Irish at Marsh’s Library. All this was made possible by the considerable support provided by various institutions: my own school, EPHE – PSL, my university, Université PSL, the Île-de-France region, the Royal Historical Society, Marsh’s Library and the French Society for Irish Studies (SOFEIR). Université PSL and EPHE not only provide an ideal scientific environment, but they also organize many excellent seminars to supplement the training offered to their PhD students.

Where will your career take you next?

By looking further into politico-religious competition at a time when nation states were emerging, I am now broadening my research to consider the circulation of ideas within the transatlantic area in the 18th century, working towards a postdoctoral degree at EPHE. I also hope to continue my academic career and obtain a tenured position.
Once again, I would like to express my thanks to everyone who contributed in one way or another to my success, and in particular to my PhD advisers, my friends and family.

 

“While working on my dissertation, I appreciated the scientific environment and the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life”

 

Henrique Trevisan, PhD in Chemistry of Materials – dissertation at ESPCI - PSL
Dissertation subject: Structure and functionality of sequence-controlled copolymers in aqueous dispersion and Li-ion anode composites

Would you introduce yourself?

I trained as a chemist, and I am passionate about changes in matter and relationships between structures and their properties. I began my university career in 2012 in Brazil at UNICAMP, where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry in 2017. During this period, I also studied for one year at the University of Oslo. Next, I did a Master’s degree, still at UNICAMP, where my research focused on biomass fractionation and the preparation of lignin nanoparticles, a group of complex plant substances. In 2019, as part of the UPtoPARIS program (Horizon 2020) I was selected to prepare my dissertation at the Molecular, Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry Laboratory at ESPCI Paris - PSL, with François Tournilhac as my research director and in collaboration with Professor Jean-Marie Tarason from the Collège de France and Professor Makoto Ouchi from the University of Kyoto.

What is your dissertation subject?

My research focused mainly on copolymers. We showed that by controlling the location of chemical units in polymer chains, it was possible to control their solubility in different solvents and prepare very small polymer particles, which can be applied in fields such as medicine or biology.
We also suggested that these polymer materials could be used in lithium-ion batteries. The aim was to verify whether the role of the copolymer was to bond the particles of the battery anode to produce more resistant anode materials.

Is there a moment that was particularly notable during your PhD?

I chose ESPCI Paris - PSL for my dissertation because of the excellent research carried out there and because they offer an unusual combination of support activities, mentoring and career planning. What I appreciated most during my time at ESPCI was the scientific environment there and the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life.

Where will your career take you next?  

After completing my dissertation, I decided to pursue my career as a researcher in a high-tech company. Since September 2022, my job has been designer of sustainable raw materials at Michelin.

 

The PSL doctoral ceremony 2023 can be viewed here. Click on the link below.