Pierre Le Bris: Reflections on His Postdoctoral Fellowship at IHES

Pierre Le Bris is completing his postdoctoral fellowship at IHES and will join Télécom SudParis in a week, where he will teach and continue his research.

After completing a PhD at Jussieu between 2020 and 2023 under the supervision of Arnaud Guilin and Pierre Monmarché, Pierre Le Bris began a postdoctoral position at IHES in September 2023. His scientific supervisor at IHES was Thierry Bodineau.

“Starting in September 2022, I began looking for a postdoctoral position. After talking with Arthur Touati, who was then a postdoc at IHES, I was motivated to apply. By December, I had received a positive response,” Pierre recalls.

His research focuses on large systems of interacting particles and their limiting behaviors as the number of particles tends toward infinity. During his PhD, he studied the McKean–Vlasov equation; at IHES, he continued his work by exploring other models and types of limits. “Particles are agents that interact with each other. One can either track each individual or use a statistical description, and the goal is to understand how these two perspectives are consistent,” he explains.

Pierre was able to pursue his scientific initiatives thanks to the supportive environment at IHES and the help of the administrative staff: “When I wanted to organize a conference day in June 2024 to bring together young researchers in my field, IHES and the scientific secretariat were very open and helpful. With their support and experience, I almost had this day entirely ready to go!”

The postdoctoral fellowship allowed Pierre to consolidate his expertise, expand his scientific network, and prepare for his future teaching and research responsibilities at Télécom SudParis. “Working with Thierry Bodineau has been very enriching and opens up new perspectives for my future research,” he concludes.