Directory

CNRS Research Associate

Position:

Since 2020 CNRS Researcher (CR CNRS), IMN, CNRS

Form positions:

• 2019 -2020 Research Scientist CDD in Materials Chem.(Next Junior Talent Chair), IMN, CNRS
• 2015 – 2019 Staff Research Scientist, SuperSTEM Laboratory, EPSRC National Research Centre for Advanced Electron Microscopy, UK
• 2015 – 2019 SuperSTEM research fellow, University of Leeds, UK
• 2012 – 2014 Postdoctoral Researcher, Pacific Northwest National Laboratoy, USA
• 2011 – 2012 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California-Davis, USA

Main research topics:

• Solid-liquid interfaces on hybrid and biomaterials probed using electron microscopy;
• The development and application of new electron microscopy methods for properties-structure relationship of beam sensitive materials and radiolysis quantification in the electron microscope.

Biography:

Patricia Abellan is a CNRS researcher at the Institute of Materials of Nantes (IMN) Jean Rouxel, Nantes University, since 2019. She received her BSc in Physics from the Aalborg University (Denmark) and her Ph.D. in Materials Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Spain, in 2011. She has held postdoctoral positions at the University of California – Davis and at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, before taking a staff research scientist position at the SuperSTEM Laboratory (Daresbury, UK) in 2015. Her research focuses on the study of solid-liquid interfaces on hybrid and biomaterials using electron microscopy as well as on the elucidation of the radiation chemistry and radiation physics driving the processes at liquid-solid interfaces induced by the electron beam in an electron microscope. In 2013 she received the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from the SME, in 2019 she was the laureate of the NExT Junior Talent program and in 2023 she won an European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant. She has given over 35 invited presentations at international conferences and academic institutions on the development and application of electron microscopy methods.

Current research projects

• Osteocytes extracellular vesicles cargos: a new approach for regenerative medicine of bone tissue (OVERbone), ANR PRC (ANR-20-CE18-0015); national collaborative project (2 partners), 505.3k€ (149k€ for WP2), 2021-2025, Role: WP2 leader
• Dosimetry of Ultra-High Dose-Rate Electron Beams at Solid-Water Interfaces in Electron Microscopy: A Key Advance in Hydrated Samples Research (DREAM-SWIM), HORIZON-ERC CoG (project 101124066); individual project, 2.1 M€, 2024-2029, Role: PI
• Intensified PRocess coupling reaction and separation using Enzymes-functionalized Membranes for the recovery of bIomolecUles from Microalgae (PREMIUM), ANR PRCI (ANR-23-CE51-0059); international collaborative project (3 partners), 700k€ (207.7k€ for WP), 2024-2026, Role: Co-PI
• OPerando analyses and modelling of INterface dynamics and CHARGE transport in lithium-ion batteries (OPINCHARGE), HORIZON-RIA, (HORIZONCL5-2022-D2-01; proposal 101104032); international collaborative project (10 partners), 5.7 M€ (710 k€ for WP), 2023-2026, Role: Partner/Participant

Activities in the research community

• Member of the French microscopy society (SFmu), French BIOMAT, Spanish microscopy society (SME), European Microsc. Society (EMS), Microscopy society of America (MSA)
• Member of the Proposal Review Panel of the European Research Infrastructure ReMAde@ARI project, since 2025
• Member of organization committee of the annual congress of l’association française des biomatériaux (BIOMAT) 2026
• Member of the Access Committee (AC) of the Spanish ELECMI (elecmi.es), since 2022
• Member of the Transnational Access proposal evaluation committee (TAPEC) in the European ESTEEM3 project, 2022-2023
• Member of the panel of independent experts of the French METSA research federation, since 2022
• Member of the Editorial Board of the journal Micron, Elsevier, since 2019
• Member of CINT External Proposal Review Board, DOE Center for Integrated Nanotechnol. Sandia National Laboratories, since 2018
• Guest editor (managing editor) of Special Issue in Liquid-phase EM in Micron
• Member of Scientific proposal internal review panel, EPSRC SuperSTEM Lab, 2015-2017
• Symposium organizer at major international conferences including European-Materials research society (E-MRS) 2019 Fall Meeting, Warsaw, Poland; EUROMAT 2021, Graz, Austria (virtual conference); Microscopy & Microanalysis (Portland 2019 and Minneapolis 2023) and Colloque SFµ 2023, SDM2: In Situ, operando, Rouen, France
• Discussion leader (2), Gordon Research conferences (GRC) on liquid-phase EM, 2020 & 2024, Italy
• Panel Discussion at Biophysics & Physical Microscopy conference 2023, Institute of Physics, London
• Keynote speaker, 19th International Microscopy Congress 2018, Sydney, Australia
  o Session chair at international conferences, including Microscopy & Microanalysis 2017, 2019 and 2023, E-MRS 2018 and 2019 Fall meetings, GRC on liquid phase EM 2020 and 2024, EUROMAT 2021, Colloque SFµ 2023
• Program chair Pre-meeting congress on radiation beam damage, prior to Microscopy and Microanalysis 2017, 70 participants, St. Louis, USA and Third Virtual workshop of MaterialWell (2022)
• 42 invited talks at international conferences (31) and research/academic institutions (11)
• Member of PhD thesis jury (2), University of Basque Country, CIC NanoGUNE 2025 and CEA-Leti at the University of Grenoble Alpes 2021
• Co-organizer of the physics of materials and nanostructures (PMN) group scientific seminars, since January 2021
• Member of jury for best student presentation awards at international conferences, including symposium L in E-MRS 2018 Fall meeting, conference MMC2019 and GRD NanOperando 2019
• Member of local organization team: 7th biennial SuperSTEM Summer School, 2018, UK

Distinction:

2013 Best Ph.D. Thesis in Materials Science Award (biennial 2011-2012). Awarded by the Microscopy Society of Spain (SME)

Patent:

Nanoparticles, Methods for Producing Nanoparticles and Nanoparticle Generators. J.W. Grate, N.D. Browning, P. Abellan, U.S. patent number 10500228 filed in 26/04/2017, published in 10/12/2019

Senior Lecturer

Function:

Senior Lecturer

Expertise:

Optical and vibrational spectroscopy

Teaching:

Head of CUPGE Physics PSR – Enhanced Scientific Course

Link to orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8976-8371

Senior Lecturer

Functions :

Senior Lecturer, Vice-Dean for Bachelor’s Degrees, UFR Sciences et Techniques

Qualifications :

Doctor, HDR

Expertise:

Life physics, biophysics

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8508-2962

CNRS Research Director

Function:

Research Director DR 1

• Coordinator of the Mott-IA maturation project on artificial Neural Networks
• Laureate of the RISE 2024 program for the creation of the startup Mottronix.
• Member of the International Research Laboratory (IRL) DYNACOM

Former positions:
2018 – 2023 Team Leader Physique des Matériaux et Nanostructures (PMN)
2015 – 2018 Co-director of the team Physique des Matériaux et Nanostructures (PMN)
2000 – 2021 Associate researcher and then Director of Research DR2 Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel

Education:

• 2011 Habilitation à diriger des recherches (higher PhD) Faculty of sciences / Nantes University
• 1998 – 2000 Associate Researcher – Cornell University (USA). Advisor : Franck J. Disalvo
• 1995 – 1998 PhD in material sciences – Nantes University
  Advisors : Alain Meerschaut /Jean Rouxel (Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel)

Research themes:

• Solid State chemistry and physics.
• Resistive switching in chalcogenide and oxide Mott Insulators. Application for non-volatile memories (RRAM/ Memristors) or as new neuromorphic components.
• Topochemical synthesis of new (oxy-)chalcogenide compounds.

Awards:

• 2023 Scientific grand prize of the french physical society (SFP)
• 2012, 17 and 23 CNRS Award of scientific excellence
• 1998 LAVOISIER scholarship from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Scientific production:
175 Publications, 2 book chapters, 65 invited conferences, 6 patents

University Professor

Senior Lecturer

Functions:

Design Engineer

Qualifications:

Materials and chemistry engineering degree and double master’s degree in research

Expertises :

• inorganic powder and crystal synthesis (sealed tubes),
• glove box, ball-milling, iodine transport),
• PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) thin-film deposition,
• physico-chemical characterizations (powder and crystal XRD, R(T)),
• EDX,
• structure refinement using the Rietveld method).

Main research themes:

• Superconductivity,
• Photo-induced phase transitions,
• Mottronics.

Current research projects :

• ANR MISFIT,
• ANR FASTRAIN,
• MOTT-IA

Link to orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2365-837X

Senior Lecturer

Senior Lecturer

University Professor

CNRS Research Director

Functions:

• Research Director, PMN team co-leader
• CNRS Research Director
• Joint Group head of the PMN Group
• Visiting Professor, Toyo University, Japan
• Editor Journal “Carbon

Qualifications:

• PhD Computational Physics, Exeter University (1997)
• Habilitation to direct research, Nantes University (2011)

Expertise:

Carbon Science, DFT Modelling, Defects, Materials Physics and Chemistry, Science Communication

Major research topics:

• Dislocations and point defects in graphite and 2D carbon materials
• Fullerene Science (formation, functionalisation, supramolecular structure formation)
• Nanodiamond Modelling
• Functionalisation and topology of novel nanomaterials
• Science Communication tools and techniques (virtual, physical)

Biography:

Chris Ewels graduated from Oxford University in 1993 in “Metallurgy and the Science of Materials”. After a Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of Exeter UK, for computational studies of oxygen defects in silicon, he moved to Sussex University where he worked on radiation induced defects in graphite and carbon nanosystems. At Sussex he joined the Vega Science Trust with Sir Harry Kroto, where he created an online science TV channel and developed a passion for public communication of science. In Paris he worked at the national aerospace research facilities ONERA, and was then a Marie Curie Individual Research Fellow at the Université Paris Sud within the electron microscopy group of Professor Christian Colliex. In 2006 he received the European Marie Curie Excellence Award and in the same year joined the CNRS at the Institute of Materials in Nantes, becoming Directeur de Recherche in 2015. His work focuses on computer modelling of nanoscale carbons in close collaboration with experimental colleagues. He has authored over 200 journal publications including nine book chapters, and is on the Stanford University list top 2% most cited active scientists. His interest in science communication continues, with Web videos he has commissioned and produced now viewed over 1.5 million times. He is now joint head of the Physics of Materials and Nanostructures group at the IMN, coordinating nanocarbon initiatives at the local, regional, national and European level.

Research projects:

“Current Research Projects (2026)

• Participant ANR CADENA (“Fluorinated nanodiamonds for catalysis”)
• Coordinator ANR DISLOCARBON (“Dislocations in layered carbon nanomaterials”)
• Core-Group Committee, COST Nanospace (“Carbon molecular nanostructures in space”)
• Regional Project LUMOMAT “RunningRings
• Regional Project “Trajectoire Nationale

Teaching:

• M2 E-MAT “Nanocarbon and 2D Materials
• M2 E-MAT “Machine Learning Approaches

Distinction:

• European Carbon Association (ECA) Award (2025)
• British Carbon Group Ubbelohde Award Lecture for Carbon Science (2014)
• European Union Marie Curie Excellence Award (2006)
• Fonds International Wernaers award for knowledge dissemination (2008)
• CineGlobe Public Award for best science documentary (2010)

Publications:

• 1. ‘CO adsorption on pure, defective and mixed composition AlF3 and MgF2 surfaces’
  A. Impellizzeri, J. Dieu, J. Rousseau, S. Brunet, C. P. Ewels*
  Catal. Sci. Technol. 14, 3021-3028 (2024)
• 2 ‘Electronic States of Carbon Materials’
  S. Latil, C. Ewels* (1st Edition: P. Lambin, J. Fink)
  Encyclopedia of Condensed Matter Physics, 2nd Edition, Elsevier, Vol. 5, 702-715 (2024)
• 3. ‘Noncontact Layer Stabilization of Azafullerene Radicals: Route toward High-Spin-Density Surfaces’
  Y. Tanuma, G. Kladnik, L. Schio, M. van Midden Mavrič, B. Anezo, E. Zupanic, G. Bavdek, R. Canton-Vitoria, L. Floreano, N. Tagmatarchis, H. A. Wegner, A. Morgante, C. P. Ewels*, D. Cvetko*, D. Arčon*, ACS Nano 17, 24, 25301-25310 (2023)
• 4. ‘Prismatic Edge Dislocations in Graphite’
  J. G. McHugh*, P. Mouratidis, A. Impellizzeri, K. Jolley, D. Erbahar, C. P. Ewels*
  Carbon, 188, 401-419 (2022)
• 5. Direct Observation and Catalytic Role of Mediator Atom in 2D Materials’
  G.-D. Lee*, A. W. Robertson*, S. Lee, Y.-C. Lin, J.-W. Oh, H. Park, Y.-C. Joo, E. Yoon, K. Suenaga, J. H. Warner, C. P. Ewels*, Science Advances, 6 (24), eaba4942 (2020)

Link HAL

Link orcid: 0000-0001-5530-9601

Link to scholar.google.fr

https://ewels.info/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewels/

Contact us:

Dr Chris Ewels
Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel (IMN)
2 Chemin de la Houssinière
44322 Nantes
FRANCE
+33-240 37 64 07
chris.ewels \ cnrs-imn.fr