Plasma, considered to be the fourth state of matter, represents more than 99% of the visible universe. Plasma plays an important role in astrophysics and space physics, but today it is also present in our daily lives, used in particular to produce smartphones, computers, screens, medical images… Plasmas are also studied to develop new applications in a wide range of fields, from medicine to nanotechnology, aeronautics, environment and agriculture. Plasma is also thermonuclear fusion that will provide a decarbonized alternative to conventional energy production.
The mission of the PLASMAScience Graduate School is to promote the teaching of plasma physics by offering funding to students wishing to pursue their Master’s and doctoral degrees in the laboratories constituting the PLASMAScience Graduate School at IP Paris.
Plasma science is a rich and interdisciplinary field of physics that is at the crossroads of other academic fields such as chemistry, engineering and applied mathematics. Plasma physics, one of the major research areas at IP Paris, involves seven laboratories (CMAP, CPHT, LOA, LPICM, LPP, LSI, LULI) covering a wide range of plasma fields at the cutting edge of science and technology: thermonuclear fusion, space plasmas, plasmas for medicine, nanotechnology, etc.
The PLASMAScience Graduate School brings together the activity of these seven laboratories and represents today the largest plasma community in France.
The PLASMAScience Graduate School aims to become one of the major international players in plasma physics research and training. Its role is to combine the high-level research of these seven laboratories with attractive trainings for IP Paris students by offering young talents the opportunity to work with dynamic and multidisciplinary research teams on a scientific project and to access its extensive international scientific and academic network. Its goal is to train high-level researchers and engineers capable of meeting the new social challenges.
This PIA3 state programme aims to support the creation of University Research Schools (in French, Ecoles Universitaires de recherche, EUR), inspired by the Anglo-Saxon model of graduate schools, which will « bring together master’s and doctoral studies as well as one or more high-level research laboratories ».
The project team demonstrated the importance of plasma research. The jury highlighted the quality of the project both at the scientific and pedagogical level, as well as its strong international dimension.
The EUR was officially launched in November 2020. In January 2021 the EUR decided to adopt the name PLASMAScience (PLASMAScience Graduate School).
This initiative is supported by the French National Research Agency under the « Investissements d’Avenir » program (ANE-18-EURE-0014).