Master's degree "Bio-Inspired Materials"

Presentation

Presentation

This master’s degree aims at offering an educational background connecting the laboratory environment and the living world while responding to the ecological and sustainable transition challenges. Mimicking strategies elaborated by Nature represent infinite scientific and technological challenges. These challenges will be taken up through bioinspiration and biomimicry angles keeping in mind environmental awareness and ethics.

We offer our students a unique opportunity to explore and get inspired from living systems to develop novel materials. Our biomimetic approach focuses on cross-disciplinary courses that will make students reconsider how they elaborate syntheses, formulations and processing of tomorrow’s materials as needed by the industrial partners to build our future society

In both the first and the second year of the master, the students will be trained to draw inspiration from Nature through a biomimetic approach. This multidisciplinary approach, which resorts to both fundamental science and materials engineering, is based on the observation and comprehension of living organisms within their ecosystems. To succeed in this course, students will have to grasp abstract concepts to design biological models adapted to scientific and technological developments.

The teaching program, comprising lectures, supervised and practical work and case studies, is primarily centered around student-based teaching strategies including Project-based learning. Entirely in English, teaching is performed by university lecturers and researchers as well as socio-professional stakeholders. The practical works and case studies take place in the laboratories of the Multidisciplinary Research Institute for the Environment and Materials (IPREM CNRS UMR 5254), using high-performance and cutting-edge equipment. Lectures are scheduled at the beginning of the training course to harmonize the basic knowledge of students originating from various educational backgrounds (biology, physics and chemistry). Through this approach, we wish to develop the student’s soft skills to encourage autonomy, stimulate curiosity, creativity and emotional intelligence. The primary objective is to train future young researchers with a special know-how in collaborative thinking and able to drive bio-inspired research projects.

Objectives

• Prepare students at an advanced specialized level to meet present and future challenges adopting the biomimicry philosophy
• Obtain basic and requisite knowledge in physics, chemistry and biology
• Awake curiosity and inspire respect for living systems
• Develop environmental awareness
• Develop collaborative and open working skills
• Adhere to the principles of the living world in their scientific approach
• Adopt a biomimetic approach with materials from concept to development
• Develop engineering research skills to engage in quality and successful research,
• Prepare students for leading positions in industry and government Research and Development departments

Knowledge and skills

At the end of this program, the students in the «Materials Science and Engineering: Bio Inspired Materials master’s degree” will be able to:

● Prepare innovative bio inspired materials,
● Use surface and volume analytical techniques to achieve a sound command of materials characterization,
● Validate, interpret and model experimental results,
● Write a report and communicate appropriately with experts,
● Produce quality research,
● Carry out a research project.

Additional information

Scholarships

• Region Aquitaine Scholarships for non-EU students
• E2S Talents’ Academy Scholarships for all students
• EIFFEL Scholarship of Excellence
• Specific Master's scholarship

International Welcome Desk

Testimonies

Corinne NARDIN

Corinne is physics professor, with a specialization in the physical chemistry of polymers, at the Université de Pauet des Pays de l’Adour. She is a scientific officer of the excellence initiative– Science - Innovation - Territoires – Economie (I-Site) « Energy and Environment Solutions – E2S ».

The training during the BIM Master will be focused on active pedagogy, in the project mode, which will be possible owing to a unique location of the teaching and research activities. Lectures will be at first organized to harmonize the basic knowledge of students of various educations (biology, physics and chemistry). 50 % of the lectures delivered to the 15 students are specific to the BIM master.

Through this approach, we further expect to develop the student’s soft skills in particular:
encourage autonomy, stimulate curiosity, creativity and emotional intelligence. The principal objective is to train future young researchers granted with a peculiar ability to think in a collaborative mode and to drive bio-inspired research projects.”’.

Laurent BILLON

Professor in Polymer Science at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, Laurent is vice director of the Institute of Analytical Sciences and Physical chemistry for Environment and Materials (IPREM). He is the coordinator of the European research project eSCALED on artificial photosynthesis and leads the group on bioinspired materials ‘Functionality &Self-Assembly’.

The BIM Master, that stands for Bioinspired Materials, is in line with the current challenge of the ecological and sustainable transition. Mimic strategies evolved by Nature represents infinite scientific and technological challenges that will be undertaken by choosing bioinspiration and biomimetism.

With this master, unique in France, we aim at proposing to the students to explore living systems to get inspiration to develop novel materials and to keep in mind ethics and consciousness of their environment. Multi- and trans- disciplinarily training, at the heart of the biomimetic approach, will enable the students to adopt new ways of thinking syntheses,formulations and processing of tomorrow materials needed by the industrial partners to build
our future society.’’.

Organisation

Training content

Trainings

Internship Mandatory (4-6 months)

Master 1

A Minimum of 2 to 4 months of immersion in an academic or private research lab, in France or abroad

Master 2

Applied research project of at least a 6-month duration in an academic or private research lab

Admission

Access condition

Requirements

• Applicants must hold at least a bachelor degree  in chemistry, biology, physics, earth science for the Master 1 level.
• Applicants must hold at least a 4-year university level  in chemistry, biology, physics, earth science for the Master 2 level

English Language requirements

• Applicants must be fluent in English, both in writing and speaking. An applicant whose native language is not English has to take a recognized international English test.

Minimum required score: CECRL B2 level in English

French Language Requirements

• None

Inscription modalities

Target group

International and French students

Expenses

Administrative tuition in France is determined at a national level. The French Ministerial Order of April 19, 2019, amended on June 9, 2020, sets university tuition for a Master Program as follows: European nationals: €243, extra-European nationals: €3770.

For academic year 2021-2022, the Board of Directors has extended its policy of automatically providing partial reduction of these fees at the UPPA. As a result, extra-European nationals will be granted automatic partial reductions such that they will be able to pay the same enrollment fees as European nationals.

Extra fees: 

In addition to academic tuition, most students must pay a student body fee (CVEC, which cost €92 in 2020-2021). 

NB: Admitted candidates in any course of study who have taken a break of more than two years from their studies will enroll via the UPPA’s Continuing Education service (Formation Continue / FORCO). They are exempt from the CVEC, however they may be subject to a different tuition scale.

And after

Further studies

Prospects for employment or further study

Sectors:

• Chemistry
• Energy (photovoltaic, batteries, fuel cells, artificial photosynthesis ..)
• Environment (non-polluting materials, pollution control materials and storage…)
• Aeronautics (composite materials, surface treatments ...)...
• Building (thermal and sound insulating coatings ...)
• Cosmetics & life science

Fields:

• Research and Development

Positions:

• Project Manager
• Senior manager in design and development (design engineer)
• Senior manager in production (process engineer, production engineer)
• Senior manager responsible for quality operations or even production management
• Technical Director (R & D)
• Teacher-researcher (possible at the end of a doctorate.)

Job opportunities

Positions:

• Research and Innovation Engineer, PhD students
• Project Manager
• Senior manager in design and development (design engineer)
• Senior manager in production (process engineer, production engineer)
• Senior manager responsible for quality operations or even production management

Contact(s)

Person in charge