WILL International Chairs laureates

2025 winning projects

As part of the France 2030 project WILL (Welcoming Internationals to Lille), the University of Lille is proud to announce the selection of 9 new international chairs for 2025.

Following an initial cohort of 5 international chairs launched in 2023, this second cohort brings the total number of chairs funded to 14, in line with the commitments made by the University of Lille to the ANR.

ISTROMICS project

The ISTROMICS project, carried out in collaboration with KU Leuven (Belgium), is seeking to improve the treatment of ischaemic strokes (obstruction by a blood clot) by studying the composition of blood clots and their impact on the success of treatment.

Chair partner: KU Leuven

Holders of the ISTROMICS chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Mickael ROSA,Senior Lecturer – HDR, Associate Professor of Haematology, STAELS, Faculty of Pharmacy, UFR3S, University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Simon DE MEYER,Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium

PlaNeuroGen project

The PlaNeuroGen project, carried out in partnership with Taipei Medical University (Taiwan), is exploring the use of trophic factors (nutritional environment) derived from platelets to combat cognitive decline and diseases linked to tauopathies, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Chair partner: Tapei Medical University

Holders of the PlaNeuroGen chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Grégory KUCHCINSKI,Professor of Radiology and Medical Imaging, LilNCog, UFR3S, University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Thierry BURNOUF,Professor, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan

ORIGAMI project

The ORIGAMI project, carried out in collaboration with Nagoya University (Japan), is studying the impact of O-GlcNAcylation, a protein modification linked to the nutritional state of cells, on the organisation of chromatin and its role in metabolic disorders and cancer.

Holders of the ORIGAMI chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Stéphan HARDIVILLÉ,Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Structural and Functional Glycobiology Unit (Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle – UGSF), Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Hiroshi SUZUKIProfessor of Molecular Oncology, Nagoya University, Japan

DDDC project

The DDDC project, carried out in partnership with the Université de Louvain la Neuve (Belgium), explores the democratisation of production methods by combining two areas of focus: reflection on the ‘commons’ and the movement for the democratisation of companies.

 

Chair partner: University of Louvain

Holders of the DDDC chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Pierre ROBERT,Senior Lecturer in Economics, CLERSÉ, University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Isabelle FERRERAS,Senior Research Fellow, FNRS, Brussels, Professor of Sociology, Université catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

GHyPhot project

The GHyPhot project, carried out alongside King’s College London (United Kingdom), aims to validate and extend the principles of generalised hydrodynamics (GHD) through non-linear optical experiments in fibres.

 

Chair partner: King’s College London

Holders of the GHyPhot chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: François COPIE,Senior Lecturer, Laboratory of Laser Physics, Atoms and Molecules, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Benjamin DOYON,Professor of Theoretical Physics, Department of Mathematics, King’s College London, United Kingdom

BOSSA project

The BOSSA project, carried out in collaboration with the University of Helsinki (Finland), aims to develop the next generation of compressed genomic indexes (genetic, phenotypic and genealogical data) to meet the challenges posed by the explosion in genomic data.

Chair partner: University of Helsinki

Holders of the BOSSA chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Camille MARCHET,Research Fellow, CRISTAL Laboratory, CNRS - University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Simon PUGLISI,Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Finland

PROTECT project

The PROTECT project, carried out in partnership with the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), aims to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms behind pneumonia susceptibility and pathogenesis, with a view to developing new treatments.

Chair partner: Université Libre de Bruxelles

Holders of the PROTECT chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Laurye VAN MAELECRCN researcher at the Lille Infection and Immunity Centre, UFR3S, Inserm
  • International senior researcher: Stanislas GORIELY,Doctor, FNRS Research Director in Immunology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

UNIVERSITWINS project

The UNIVERSITWINS project, carried out alongside Ludwig-Maximilians University (Germany), aims to develop digital twins to enable better interpretation of astronomical observations and eliminate potential biases in the analysis of cosmic data.

Chair partner: LMU

Holders of the UNIVERSITWINS chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Jenny SORCE,CNRS Research Fellow, Lille Computer Science, Signal and Automation Research Centre (Centre de Recherche en Informatique, Signal et Automatique de Lille – CRIStAL), University of Lille
  • International senior researcher: Klaus DOLAGProfessor of Cosmology, Computational Astrophysics Section (CAST), Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany

HE! project

The HEI! project, carried out in collaboration with Osaka University (Japan), focuses on the use of high-entropy intermetallic compounds (linked to disorder on an atomic scale) as catalysts for sustainable chemical reactions, in particular CO conversion and propylene production.2 and propylene production.

 

Chair partner: Osaka University

Holders of the HE! chair

  • Young researcher from Lille: Héloïse TISSOT,CNRS Research Fellow, Catalysis and Solid-State Chemistry Unit (Unité de Catalyse et de Chimie du Solide – UCCS)
  • International senior researcher: Shinya FURUKAWA,Professor of Catalytic Science, Osaka University, Japan

Winners of the previous call

In less than five minutes, find out what these high-level research projects are all about, and learn about their ambitious objectives and impact in their respective fields.

ARCHIE

Youtube Video: Kick Off - ARCHIE

Artificial intelligence for heterogeneity in chronic diseases (ARCHIE)

CROSSPOINT

Youtube Video: Kick Off - CROSSPOINT

The role of cross-border regions in terms of public policy and the fight against inequalities

CROSSPOINT chair website

DEEPSEE

Youtube Video: Kick Off - DEEPSEE

High performance 3D bioimaging

DEEPSEE chair web page

ICMINA

Youtube Video: Kick Off - ICMINA

Exploiting acoustofluidics at the micro and nanoscopic scale

RECAST

Youtube Video: Kick Off - RECAST

Recycling of End-of-life Condensation polymers to new Advanced Sustainable Thermoplastics (RECAST)

RECAST chair web page

SPORT-1

Youtube Video: Kick Off - SPORT-1

Transforming the role of physical activity from a risk factor for glycemic fluctuations to a therapeutic approach reducing the risk of vascular complications in patients living with type 1 diabetes.

TESSA

Youtube Video: Kick Off - TESSA

Techno-Economical Study of Second life batteries for Affordable e-mobility campus (TESSA)

TESSA chair web page

Our partners

This ambitious programme, supported by the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche – ANR), the Lille European Metropolitan Area (Métropole européenne de Lille – MEL) and the Hauts-de-France region, aims to strengthen international scientific cooperation and promote young research talent in Lille.

About the WILL project

The WILL project is part of an international collaborative effort involving renowned senior international researchers and promising young researchers based in Lille. This approach helps to boost the careers of emerging talent while promoting major scientific advances in strategic areas.