Director's Welcome
In 2006 an international research laboratory (IRL) was created as a joint laboratory between the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). It is noteworthy that Georgia Tech - CNRS is the first IRL located in France. The laboratory is based both in Metz (primarily), France at the Georgia Tech Lorraine campus and Atlanta, USA at the GIT campus in the Pettit building (see Figure 1). Jean Paul Salvestrini, Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech, has succeeded in 2018 to Abdallah Ougazzaden who led the three first contracts successfully.
IRL Georgia Tech - CNRS focuses on three primary research areas:
o Non-linear dynamics, and Network information systems: This topic focuses on chaos dynamics in optoelectronic components. Information systems research addresses the evolution of wired and wireless communication networks distinct from traditional centralized and static network architectures.
o Smart materials, and Non-destructive evaluation: This topic aims at developing new functional materials and new nanostructures for photonics and electronics, but also at characterizing materials by ultrasound and terahertz imaging. On the other hand, this theme is also interested in structural materials and in particular in high entropy alloys by modeling and multi-scale simulation.
o Robotics, and Systems exploration and assessment: This subject concerns robotics for environmental assessment (development of mobile robotic systems to monitor the environment over long periods of time) and cognitive robotics on the one hand which consists in using a neural approach for signal processing. The exploration of complex systems consists in the multi-scale simulation of systems of systems and applies in our case to avionics.
The true strengths of the IRL lie in the people who have created the dynamic international work environment that defines the IRL. It is our talented researchers, students, and highly committed staff that enable us to reach significant milestones.
In addition, the IRL GT - CNRS has in total 10 laboratory spaces in the area of non-linear dynamics, secure networks, materials growth and characterization, cluster for multi-scale modeling, non- destructive evaluation by THz and acoustics, and robotics.
IRL researchers are deeply involved in fundamental and applied research programs through national agencies, European programs, and industrial contracts.
During the past five years, the IRL was involved in 5 projects (4 coordinated by the IRL) funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR). It is involved also in three PIA programs: two Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) programs (GaNEXT and DAMAS) which have been extended for 3 more years in 2020. IRL is also involved in the IDEX/I-SITE “Lorraine Université d’Excellence” coordinated by the University of Lorraine with GT-Lorraine and CNRS as members. The IRL was also involved in 4 projects (as PI) funded by the Institut Carnot “Arts” coordinated by ENSAM. The IRL was also involved in 6 projects (4 coordinated by the IRL) funded by the European Commission: Oasys (H2020), Flourish (H2020), Bugwrigh2 (H2020, 9 M€, 21 partners), Flagship Graphene Core 3 (H2020), COMETAS (H2020 RISE), and XSMETA (H2020 ITN).
The IRL is involved in the LABEX GANEXT which has a national scope and bringing a network of French laboratories working on a common theme, the element III nitrides (BAlInGaN) whose emblematic representative is GaN. The IRL belongs also to the Institut Carnot ARTS (Actions de Recherche pour la Technologie et la Santé) which brings all the research labs (23) from or associated to ENSAM in order to meet the challenges of designing, industrializing and manufacturing complex and innovative products. The IRL has joined two GDR (Groupement de Recherche) and one RT (Réseau Technologique) funded by CNRS: GDR NanoTeraMIR (Nanodispositifs pour le THz et moyen infra-rouge), GDR HOWDI (Low dimensional van der Walls heterostructures), and RT Sensors for environment. The main objective of the NanoTeraMIR research group is to create links and exchanges between the various French research actors in the fields of THz and MIR frequencies and in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The ambition of the GDR HOWDI is to bring together a large number of research labs working in the field of atomic-scale assembly of 2D materials. This RT Sensors for environment focuses on the development, in situ installation/deployment of sensors, autonomous or interconnected (wireless or wired) environmental recorders as well as the transfer of data, its potential processing (offline or online, particularly via embedded artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms).
Over the 5 last years, 3 book chapters, 171 papers and 93 conference papers have been published by the IRL researchers, in prestigious international journals and conference proceedings. 5 patents have been filed and 2 inventions have been disclosed. Our researchers have participated (161 oral communications, 58 without proceedings) and been invited (28 Invited talks in addition to the 151 oral communications) to give presentations and seminars in prestigious conferences and institutions such a as a workshop organized by Prof Jeehwan Kim from MIT. Some publications have been cited as disruptive technology by specialized technology trade magazines.
