CERMICS, a laboratory dedicated to mathematical applications, becomes a CNRS joint research unit (UMR)
The Center for Teaching and Research in Mathematics and Scientific Computing (CERMICS)1 , located on the Cité Descartes university campus in Marne-la-Vallée, is the laboratory dedicated to mathematical applications at the École nationale des ponts et chaussées. On January 1, 2026, the laboratory reached a new milestone in its history by becoming a joint research unit (UMR)2 under the supervision of the CNRS and attached to CNRS Mathematics, thus cementing the scientific relationship between the two institutions.
A laboratory with a strong interdisciplinary focus and an eye to the future
The laboratory was created in its current form in 1996 following the merger of two entities: the Center for Teaching and Research in Mathematics (CERMA) and CERMICS, in its original form. Since then, it has established itself in the field of applied mathematics. Led by Gabriel Stoltz, its director, and Julien Reygner, its deputy director, CERMICS is at the crossroads of mathematics, engineering sciences, and industrial applications. Its scientific themes cover three main areas, reflected in its structure of three poles:
- Modeling, analysis, and simulation (with a particular focus on theoretical and numerical analysis of partial differential equations);
- Optimization (with a strong emphasis on operational research alongside stochastic optimization);
- and applied probability (particularly in relation to stochastic differential equations).
There are numerous interactions between members, with some people even working at the interfaces between these three areas. According to Gabriel Stoltz, this is where the very heart of CERMICS' identity lies: interdisciplinarity.
This interdisciplinary nature is expressed “both within mathematics, particularly with the combination of deterministic and stochastic approaches, and in science in general,” explains the director. This openness translates into numerous interactions and applications with industrialists and scientists from other fields: chemistry, physics, mechanics, materials science, biology, computer science, finance, economics, transportation, and energy. “From a methodological point of view, the research conducted at the laboratory often addresses a scientific problem vertically, from the modeling phase to the practical implementation of numerical solutions,” concludes Gabriel Stoltz.
From the Bézout federation to the UMR: strong ties with the CNRS, cemented by the transition to UMR
Deeply rooted in the institutional mathematics landscape, CERMICS maintains numerous links with other research players. Since the original version of CERMICS was created in 1989, the laboratory has had a long-standing relationship with Inria, which continues today through joint project teams. The laboratory is also developing its collaborations with partners at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, particularly with the Fondation Mathématiques Jacques Hadamard, following the integration of the École nationale des ponts et chaussées into the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Its links with the CNRS are embodied in the Bézout research federation1 , created in 2011, of which CERMICS is a member alongside the Laboratory of Analysis and Applied Mathematics (LAMA)2 and the Gaspard-Monge Computer Science Laboratory (LIGM)3 .
“CERMICS' participation in the Fédération Bézout helped anchor the CNRS in the collective imagination of the laboratory and provided a concrete measure of the benefits of an association with the CNRS,” explains Gabriel Stoltz. For a decade, successive directors of CERMICS worked to strengthen institutional ties between the laboratory and the CNRS. It was in this context that the prospect of becoming a UMR emerged. CERMICS “responded immediately and with great enthusiasm” to this possibility, says the director, who also highlights the strong support of the École des Ponts in this process.
For the laboratory, this development represents a major scientific challenge, in a context of balance between fundamental research and collaborative partnerships. From this perspective, UMR status offers significant opportunities, particularly through the recruitment of CNRS research staff, which would strengthen the skills and diversity of scientific profiles within CERMICS. Symmetrically, the laboratory sees itself as a favorable environment for CNRS researchers due to its human scale, the complementary nature of the mathematical approaches carried out there, and the original and rich scientific questions that naturally emerge from its strong links with civil society and the socio-economic world.
And what about the future? CERMICS intends to continue on its current path, building on the trajectory that has made it so successful, while remaining attentive to investing in emerging themes where mathematics plays a fundamental role. Particular attention will be paid to the subjects of machine learning and artificial intelligence, with the aim of strengthening existing scientific clusters to "develop machine learning tools and methods in new contexts that are still relatively under-explored, such as operational research, molecular simulation, and risk modeling. More generally, this new UMR will be an opportunity to strengthen the continuity between fundamental and applied research, as the two feed off each other," concludes Gabriel Stoltz.