Experience
2024-today: Associate Professor at Sorbonne Université (Paris)
- Geography & Geomatics
- Director of the 4D Master’s Program
- Digital Lead for the Geography Department at Sorbonne University
2019-2024: R&D Researcher at Geosat (Pessac)
- Intern coordinator of the AI4GEO national project, HD maps part and autonomous vehicles >>LINK<<.
- 2D/3D semantic segmentation on satellite images (road markings, road degradations) and MMS/airborne LiDAR (point cloud classification).
2018-2019: Teaching assistant at Université de Lorraine (Metz)
- 176 hours taught in GIS (62 hours), risk knowledge (22 hours), mapping (20 hours), regional geography (14 hours), physical geography (12 hours), epistemology of geography (10 hours), geography for competitive exams (6 hours), remote sensing (4 hours) and professional project (2 hours)
2014-2017: Teaching assistant at Université de Paris
- 192 hours taught in remote sensing (102 hours), spatial analysis (54 hours), data analysis (24 hours) and biogeography (12 hours)
2009: Map maker at Michelin (two months)
- Map production for the Michelin’s Green Guide (Poland) and Red Guide (Tokyo).
Education
2014-2018: PhD in geography and environment, Université de Paris
Dissertation: LiDAR and conflict landscapes: From war landforms quantification to heritage valorisation in the Verdun forest (Meuse, France) >>LINK<<
Co-supervisors: Gilles Arnaud-Fassetta and François Bétard
My research focused on:
- Remote sensing and GIS: LiDAR data processing, landform recognition and extraction from DEMs, battlefield maps.
- Geomorphology: Morphometric analysis of conflict-induced landforms, understanding of erosion processes.
- Archaeology: Surface survey, battlefield and landform interpretation.
- Statistics: Multivariate analysis (self-organising maps, principal component analysis, hierarchical ascendant classification), landform classification.
- Computer programming: Automatic mapping.
- Ecology: Flooded landform inventory.
2014: M.A. (year 2) in physical geography and risk knowledge, Université de Paris, with highest honors (first in the year)
2013: M.A. (year 1) in physical geography and risk knowledge, Université de Paris, with honors
2012: B.A. in geography, Université de Paris, with honors
2009: GNVQ Advanced in mapping, Maximilien Vox High School, ranked 1st regionally
Research training
2016: Action Nationale de Formation Mosaïque, Training in spatio-temporal analysis and modeling of archaeological data, Glux-en-Glenne, 10th-14th October
2014: Training and Research on the Archaeological Interpretation of LiDAR (TRAIL), Frasne, 26th-28th March
Grants and fellowships
2014-2017: PhD fellowship awarded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research
2015: Travel grant (370 euros) awarded by the French Group of Geomorphology (GFG) and the Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology (AIGeo) to participate in the 6th Youngs Geomorphologists’ Day of the AIGeo in Cagliari (Italy), 29th September
2014: Research grant (350 euros) awarded by the General Council of Meuse for the M.A. dissertation
2014: Research grant (2745 euros) awarded by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication for the M.A. dissertation
2009: Laureate of the distinguished pupils prize awarded by the Paris City Hall
Supervision activities
2024-Today: Moustapha Gakou, Comment sauver les insectes ? Innovations géomatiques et sociales pour stimuler la protection et la restauration de l’entomofaune française, PhD thesis, Sorbonne Université, supervisor: François Bétard, Phd advisory committee: Rémi de Matos-Machado, Gladys Barragan-Jason, Thierry Feuillet and Maxime Cauchoix
2025: Elhadji Mamadou Diakhaby, Caractérisation verticale de la structure des lisières forestières (écotones) de la haute montagne pyrénéenne à l’aide des données LiDAR, Master 1 GAED Environnement, Risques et Diagnostics Territoriaux, Université de Caen, co-supervisors: Thierry Feuillet, David Sheeren and Yousra Hamrouni
2025: Ambre Müller, Les glissements de terrain dans les Îles Lofoten : cartographie d’un potentiel tsunamigénique, Master 2 GAED Environnement, Temps, Territoires, Sociétés (ETTES), Sorbonne Université, co-supervisor: Denis Mercier
2025: Garance Dallemagne, Cartographie automatique à partir des données LiDAR HD de l’IGN pour aider à la prospection des abris gravés préhistoriques dans le sud de l’Île-de-France, Master 1 GAED Environnement, Temps, Territoires, Sociétés (ETTES), Sorbonne Université, co-supervisor: François Bétard
2021: Martin Le Digabel, From patch-level to semantic segmentation for pavement degradation detection, Master 2 Intelligence Artificielle et Science des Données, Université Paris-Dauphine
2021: Corentin Ozane, Segmentation automatique de voiries sur imagerie satellite Pléiades, DUT informatique, IUT de Bordeaux
2017: Valentin Printemps, Utilisation de l’outil LiDAR pour la détection des mares de la forêt domaniale de Verdun (Meuse), Master’s thesis, Université de Paris, co-supervisor: Céline Clauzel
2017: Jury member for three Master thesis defences:
- Valentin Printemps (M.A. year 1 TGAE, Université de Paris).
- Julenni Colmenares (M.A. year 1 TGAE, Université de Paris).
- Franck Heuline (M.A. year 1 TGAE, Université de Paris).
Laboratory affiliations
2024-today: Mediations (UR Mediations, sciences des lieux, sciences des liens)
2019-2024: R&D department of Geosat
2018-2019: LOTERR (EA 7304 Centre de recherche en géographie).
2014-2018: PRODIG (UMR 8586 Pôle de Recherche pour l’Organisation et la diffusion de l’Information Géographique).
Research programs
2019-2023: AI4GEO project (Artificial Intelligence for Geodata). The AI4GEO project aims to develop an automatic solution for producing 3D geospatial information and offer new value-added services leveraging innovative methods adapted to 3D imagery. This project involves 9 academic and industrial partners (Airbus D&S, CLS, CNES, CS Group, Geosat, IGN, ONERA, Quant Cube, Qwant).
2014-2018: Verdun 14/18 Forêt d’Exception project. Theme 1.1. Cultural heritage inventory. Led by the National Forest Office (Verdun agency) and the Regional Service of Archeology (Metz), in collaboration with the Meuse department, the GIP Objectif Meuse, the Lorraine region, the Verdun Memorial and Université de Paris (UMR 8586 PRODIG and UMR 7533 LADYSS).
Scientific activities and relations with civil society
2018: Awareness day on cultural and archaeological heritage of the Verdun forest, National Forest Office, Verdun, 12nd April
2015-2017: Co-organiser of the PRODIG laboratory meetings (Université de Paris)
2017: Member of the organising committee of the 17ème Journées des Jeunes Géomorphologues of the French Group of Geomorphology (GFG), Université de Paris, Paris, 27th January
2017: Awareness day on cultural and archaeological heritage of the Verdun forest, National Forest Office, Verdun, 11th May
2016: Scientific suport for the development of interactive screens (Verdun Memorial)
2016: Map production for the historic exhibition: “L’hyperbataille de Verdun” at the Musée de l’Armée (Invalides) >>LINK<<
2016: Awareness day on cultural and archaeological heritage of the Verdun forest, National Forest Office, Verdun, 11th May
2014: Map production for the documentary film: “Verdun, ils ne passeront pas” by Serge de Sampigny >>LINK<<
2013: Member of the organising committee of the 8th International Conference on Geomorphology (IAG), Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Paris, 27th-31st August
Additional information
2014-2019: Member of the French Group of Geomorphology
2014-2019: Member of the French Geomorphological heritage Commission
2013-2014: Tutoring of the students in geography (Association of geography of the Université de Paris)
Languages: French (native), English (good), Portuguese (good)
Photo credit: Rémi de Matos Machado, Abri 320, Verdun Battlefield (France)
Photo credit: Rémi de Matos-Machado, Abri 320, Verdun Battlefield (France)