Léa Cailly-Brandstäter, awardee of the Pierre Laffitte 1st Prize & medal

The 8th Prix Pierre Laffitte honours Léa Cailly Brandstäter, awarding her the Pierre Laffitte Medal and 1st Prize for her work aiming at “Unlocking the Secrets of Mussel-Inspired Bioadhesives for Tomorrow’s Surgery”.

Léa has shown great ease and maturity in understanding the complex mechanisms of her subject. Passionate, she is accompanied in her thesis by equally motivated researchers: Rudy Valette and Romain Castellani.

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!

Congratulations Léa!

Léa Cailly Brandstäter:

“This prize is a wonderful recognition of the teamwork I have achieved with my supervisors Rudy Valette and Romain Castellani. My work focuses on 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.”

What is the Pierre Laffitte Prize?

The Pierre Laffitte Prize, conceived and launched by Elie Hachem, rewards 2nd-year doctoral students whose research proposes innovative solutions for industry and society. Twelve finalists presented their research work and possible advances.

The 2nd and 3rd prizes were awarded respectively to Matilde Siviero, CRHEA and Dalia HAREB, LEAT. Well done Matilde and Dalia!

Among the finalists, we would also like to congratulate our doctoral students: Pauline HAHN, Eleni Effraimopoulou and Theodore Michel for their high-quality presentations. The 2024 final revealed a wealth of talent.

The Prix Pierre Laffitte ceremony was a great success! A great opportunity to celebrate innovation and reward the best talents in our ecosystem! This prize highlights the importance of partnership research in developing innovative solutions to the major challenges facing our society, and is supported by the Fondation Sophia Antipolis.

Congratulations to all the winners!