Pascale Senellart has been awarded the CNRS 2025 Innovation Medal

Pascale Senellart studies photons, the elementary quantum entities that make up light, as well as ‘quantum dots’, nanostructures capable of generating them on demand. Her research and the resulting innovations have paved the way for the use of photons in quantum computing, one of the four pillars of quantum technologies. Her work has already earned her the 2014 CNRS Silver Medal.

In 2017, alongside Valérian Giesz and Niccolo Somaschi, she founded the start-up Quandela to make the unique photon sources they had developed available to the community. Since 2020, the start-up has been focusing on building a true photonic quantum computer, jointly developing both the hardware and software components.

Pascale Senellart was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences in 2022. The following year, she joined the new Presidential Science Council, announced by French President Emmanuel Macron, which aims to bridge the gap between the executive branch and the world of research. She has also been invited to the Collège de France to hold the Liliane Bettencourt Annual Chair in Technological Innovation for the 2025-2026 academic year.