from July 1, 2025 to August 31, 2025
On June 19th, the new board of the "Networks, Information, and Digital Society" (RISE) Academy met for the first time, marking an important milestone in the life of this Academy of Excellence, supported by the IdEx initiative of Université Côte d’Azur.
This new team, enriched with complementary expertise, is tasked with supporting and energising the scientific ambitions of the research entities within its scope.
The RISE Academy is actively engaged in developing transdisciplinary research projects, promoting the mobility of researchers and PhD students, and organising unifying scientific events. It thus serves as a catalyst for the emergence and structuring of innovative initiatives within its community.
A renewed and expanded team
The board is now led by Chadi Barakat (Inria), a specialist in network metrology and performance, quality of service and experience on the Internet, as well as new network architectures beyond 5G. He is joined by Christelle Caillouet (i3S), an expert in optimisation and linear programming with applications to communication system performance. Their partnership brings a complementary and strategic perspective to the scientific challenges faced by the Academy.
Between continuity and new perspectives
Two members of the previous board continue their commitment:
- Johan Montagnat (i3S), coordinator of the ANR EUR DS4H project, specialist in distributed systems and big data;
- Samir Perlaza (Inria), researcher in information theory, game theory, wireless networks, and artificial intelligence.
They are joined by new members who bring a broad range of complementary expertise:
- Alain Pegatoquet (LEAT), researcher in embedded artificial intelligence and edge computing, with a focus on energy optimisation in sensor networks and digital systems-on-chip;
- Anaïs Ollagnier (i3S), specialist in natural language processing, machine learning, and dialogue modelling;
- Laurent Labonté (INPHYNI), expert in quantum metrology and integrated optics;
- Simone Vannuccini (GREDEG), innovation economist focusing on industrial dynamics related to digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
We warmly welcome them to the Academy and look forward to their contributions to future projects.
Nathalie Currid (Université Côte d’Azur), project manager affiliated with the Diana team (Inria), continues her operational role with the Academy, ensuring continuity in day-to-day coordination.
The Academy wishes to express its deep gratitude to the former board, led by Walid Dabbous and Laure Blanc-Féraud, whose dedication, vision, and collective efforts greatly contributed to laying the foundations for its structure and influence. Their work has charted an ambitious path that the new team is committed to pursuing and enriching.
