2025 Edition

PhD student

young researcher

Try your luck with your research
project!

Are you in 2nd or 3rd year of your doctorate in an alsatian university ? (excluding Cifre thesis)

Are you a young researcher (thesis +2 years max.), attached to a public laboratory in Alsace or to the FabLabs network of the University of Strasbourg?

Do you dream that your discoveries will serve society? Are you attracted to the world of business and startups? Boost your future thanks to your research project, take part in the “Mature your PhD” Challenge!

Prizes:

€1000
in cash

to reward your engagement

A nice boost for your professional or personal projects!

Startup
training

Entrepreneurship 12 days - D.U. diploma

For a striking CV and one day create your business the right way!

A personalized analysis

of the economic potential of your research project

So that your discoveries succeed and serve society!

A privileged access

in the National Innovation Competitions i-PhD, i-Lab and Starthese

You get visibility and key meetings to build a solid network and boost your working life!

The Challenge from A to Z!

3 steps
to succeed!

S.O.S. ?

Any doubts about the potential of your project or your chances of success?

Our Innovation team is cool and there to give you an initial opinion and support you every step of the way!

June 13, 2025
at the latest

Express application

1

Download the rules and the application form.
2

Send us your application by June 13, 2025 at the latest.
3

Don't forget that the approval of your thesis supervisor (if you're a PhD student) OR your laboratory director or FabLabs Unistra Network coordinator (if you're a young researcher) is required to take part!

June 2025

Preselection

1

Your application will be carefully examined by Conectus experts.
2

If you're shortlisted, you'll go through to the final selections, with a 15-minute pitch to a panel of judges!

September 2025

Final selection

1

Our friendly socio-economic and academic jury is eager to discover your research project and its application potential.
2

You have 30 minutes to convince them: 15 minutes of pitch + 15 minutes of discussions

September 2025

Winners announcements

The winners will be announced in September 2025
If you win, it's the start of a great adventure!

How to apply?

This challenge is reserved for:

2^nd and 3^rd year doctoral students registered in Alsatian universities. CIFRE doctoral students cannot compete.
OR
young researcher (thesis +2 years max.), attached to a public laboratory in Alsace or to the FabLabs network of the University of Strasbourg?

Not in that category? Contact our innovation team!

S.O.S. ?

Any doubts about the potential of your project or your chances of success?

Our Innovation team is cool and there to give you an initial opinion and support you every step of the way!

The rules

I download and read the rules.

Download the rules

The application form

I download and read the application file
I fill out my application form

I send my application form

I have read the application submission terms and conditions described in the rules and I submit my application to Conectus before June 13, 2025.

by June 13, 2025!

Discover
the winners

Elisabete Cruz Da Silva

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Life and Health Sciences
Thesis: Identification and tracking of cytosolic EGFR aptamers
Thesis directors: Laurence Choulier and Maxime Lehmann
Lab:
- Bioimaging and Pathology
- CNRS UMR 7021
- University of Strasbourg

Salima El Yakhlifi

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Physics-Chemistry of Materials
Thesis: Control of the structure and properties of polydopamine in suspension and in the film state
Thesis director: Vincent Ball
Lab:
- Biomaterials and Bioengineering
- INSERM (National Institute of Health and Medical Research)
- UMR 1121
- University of Strasbourg

Farah Bouhedda

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Field: Molecular biology, Biotechnologies
Thesis: Development of new fluorogenic RNA aptamers for the design of imaging tools
Thesis director: Michaël Ryckelynck
Lab:
- IBMC (Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology)
- RNA architecture and reactivity
- CNRS UPR 9002
- University of Strasbourg

Maryame Sy

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Chemistry
Thesis: Synthesis of bispidine-type ligands for the complexation of Manganese (Jl) and their application in PET/MRI imaging
Thesis director: Loïc Charbonniere
Lab:
- IPHC UMR 7178 DSA SynPA team
- Associated laboratory : Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire CNRS UPR 4301 (Orléans)
- University of Strasbourg

Sebastian Sampayo

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: IT
Thesis: Polymorphy network protocol suite in heterogenous wake-up IoT networks
Thesis director: Thomas Noel
Lab:
- Icube
- UMR 7357 CNRS UDS
- University of Strasbourg

Étienne Piantanida

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Chemistry
Thesis: Nanocomposite hydrogels for biomedical applications
Thesis director: Luisa De Cola
Lab:
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Supramolecular Biomaterials
- Labo De Cola / ISIS / CNRS /
- University of Strasbourg

Yingdong Liu

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Educational Sciences
Thesis: Evaluating the learning experience for a new design of Serious Games on mobile devices
Thesis director: Marc Trestini and Laurence Schmoll
Lab:
- Interuniversity Laboratory of Education and Communication Sciences (LISEC)
- UR 2310
- University of Strasbourg

Ezeddine Harmouch

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Life Sciences
Thesis: Design and optimization of an innovative device to improve anticancer therapeutic treatment based on vascularized 3D organoids derived from patients’ tumors for precision medicine
Thesis director: Florence Fioretti and Yisa Idoux-Gillet
Lab:
- Regenerative Nanomedicine Laboratory
- UMR 1260 INSERM
- University of Strasbourg

Eya Aloui

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Polymer chemistry / Materials chemistry
Thesis: Formulation of innovative biomaterials based on biomacromolecular complexes
Thesis director: Philippe Lavalle and Benoit Frisch
Lab:
- Biomaterials Bioengineering Laboratory
- INSERM UMR_S 1121
- Laboratoire CNRS UMR 7199 CAMB
- 3Bio team
- University of Strasbourg

Miguel Leonardo Martinez Mendez

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Physics-Chemistry
Thesis: Design of functionalized polymer foams for flow applications
Lab:
- Institut Charles Sadron
- UPR22 – CNRS
- University of Strasbourg in collaboration with IS2M
- CETIM Grand Est

Nizami Israfilov

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Chemistry
Thesis: Synthesis of hybrid solids with micro-, meso- and macro-porosity by combining supramolecular chemistry and materials chemistry
Lab:
- LTM
- UMR 7140 with ICPEES
- UPR9002 & IGBMC
- UMR 7515
- University of Strasbourg

Charlotte Bussienne

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Life Sciences-Health
Thesis: Analysis of the role of Pr55Gag in the specific packaging of HIV-1 gRNA
Lab:
- IBMC
- UPR9002 & IGBMC
- UMR7104 U1258
- University of Strasbourg

Nicolas Maguin

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Mechanics
Thesis: Design and optimization of a hydraulic turbine driven by lift forces in a loaded pipe
Lab:
- Laboratoire ICube
- CNRS
- INSA Strasbourg
- ENGEES
- University of Strasbourg

Javid Abdurahim

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Physics, Physics-chemistry
Thesis: Development of an intensified process for the one-step production of anisotropic polymeric nanoparticles
Lab:
- Charles Sadron Institute (ICS) – UPR22
- CNRS
- University of Strasbourg

Adrien Rousselle

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Biology, Physics-chemistry
Thesis: Improving bioprinting with pre-cellularized microparticles to increase cell survival after printing
Lab:
- Inserm U1121 Biomatériaux Bioingéniérie
- University of Strasbourg

Julien Most

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Chemistry
Thesis: Use of doubly conjugated antibodies to develop a new therapeutic agent in targeting triple negative breast cancers
Lab:
- UMR 7199 CAMB
- UMR 7242 Biotechnologie et Signalisation Cellulaire
- CNRS
- University of Strasbourg

Agathe Boos

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Life sciences-Health
Thesis: Innovative dual-bioconjugated antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to target PARP3 functions in highly aggressive breast cancer
Lab:
- Laboratoire UMR 7242 Biotechnologie et Signalisation Cellulaire
- UMR 7199 CAMB
- CNRS
- University of Strasbourg

Quentin Bauerlin

PhD student in 4th year of thesis

Sector: Chemistry of materials
Thesis: Development of metallic colloidal suspensions designed to improve the properties of 3D objects objects manufactured by photopolymerisation.
Lab:
- Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse – UMR 7361 – Mulhouse
- University of Upper Alsace

Armando Espinosa Prieto

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Molecular ecology
Thesis: AquDNA: environmental DNA as a descriptor of aquatic plants and an environmental indicator
Lab:
- Image Ville Environnement Laboratory (UMR 7362)
- University of Strasbourg

Adèle Karst

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Physique et Chimie des matériaux
Thesis: Study and optimisation of PEO/PEDOT mixtures: PSS for application in 3D melt-printed electronics
Lab:
- Charles Sadron Institute – UPR 22 CNRS
- University of Strasbourg
- Associated lab: IMT Nord Europe

Senem Yilmazer

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Physics and Physical Chemistry
Thesis: Self-assembled endogenous fatty amides as oleogelators
Lab:
- Charles Sadron Institute CNRS
- University of Strasbourg

Corentin Meyer

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Bioinformatics
Thesis: MYO-xIA: Explainable AI for the integrated classification and prediction of congenital myopathies
Lab:
- ICube UMR 7357 Laboratory_ Complex Systems and Translational Biology team
- Associated lab : IGBMC (CNRS UMR 7104 – Inserm U 1258) – Pathophysiology of neuromuscular diseases team
- University of Strasbourg

Thomas Alfroy

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Sector: Information Technology
Thesis: An innovative platform for collecting BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) data to enhance the detection of routing attacks.
Lab:
- ICube (Laboratoire des sciences de l’ingénieur, de l’informatique et de l’imagerie)
  UMR 7357 (Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSA Strasbourg, ENGEES, InriaStrasbourg)

Charlène Sueur

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Branch: Molecular and cellular biology
Thesis: Optimization and delivery of a targeted demethylation system for a tumor suppressor gene in gastric cancer cells.
Lab:
- BSC (Laboratoire de Biotechnologie et Signalisation Cellulaire)
  UMR 7242 (CNRS / Université de Strasbourg)
- RNM (Laboratoire de Nanomédecine Régénérative)
  UMR 1260 (Inserm / Université de Strasbourg)

Marianne Lemée

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Branch: Life sciences – Neurosciences
Thesis: Determination of the genetic causes of syndromes associated with duplications and deletions of the distal 1q21.1 region in neurodevelopmental disorders in humans.
Lab:
- ICube (LaboratoIGBMC (Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire)
  CNRS (UMR 7104), INSERM (UMR-S 1258), Université de Strasbourg

Radi Khodr

PhD student in 2nd year of thesis

Sector: Life Sciences / Health
Thesis: Development and identification of defluorination enzymes by ultra-high-throughput screening in microfluidic droplets.
Lab:
- IBMC (Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire)
  CNRS UPR 9002 – University of Strasbourg
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Genomics and Microbiology (GMGM)
  UMR 7156 (CNRS – University of Strasbourg)
- University of Strasbourg

Emmanuel Martins Seromenho

PhD student in 3rd year of thesis

Branch: Physics
Thesis: Optical and elastic tomography of in-vivo biological tissues
Lab:
- ICube (Laboratoire des sciences de l’ingénieur, de l’informatique et de l’imagerie)
  UMR 7357 (Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSA Strasbourg, ENGEES, InriaStrasbourg)