IPAS researcher awarded the Dylan Cattiaux thesis prize
Congratulations to Dr Damien Raynal from the Centre of Light for Life (CLL), who has been awarded the Dylan Cattiaux thesis prize by the Groupe de Recherche Optomécanique. The prize recognises outstanding PhD research in optomechanics, celebrating theses that make significant contributions to the field.
Dr Raynal received the award for his thesis, “Controlled Dynamics of a Levitated Nanoparticle in a Tailored Optical Potential,” completed at Université Paris-Saclay. Damiencontinues his research in levitated optomechanics at the Centre of Light for Life, now exploring new rotational dynamics of trapped particles in liquids, air, and vacuum. His work has applications across the life sciences, including studies of malaria parasites in collaboration with Dr Danny Wilson, demonstrating the broad impact of photonics and optical trapping technologies.
His research has potential applications in biomedical research, precision sensing, and fundamental studies of particle dynamics at micro- and nanoscale.