Conference entitled “4 voices, 4 sciences, 4 intelligences” for Science Day 2025 at École Polytechnique – Date: October 6, 2025
On the occasion of the 2025 Science Festival, École Polytechnique (l’X) highlighted four exceptional female researchers, whose careers and innovative work were presented to secondary school students during a conference entitled ‘4 voices, 4 sciences, 4 intelligences’.
This event, held on October 3 and 4, 2025, marked the 2025 edition of the Science Festival, dedicated this year to “intelligences” (human, artificial, collective…). It highlighted the role of women in science, a major issue of justice, innovation and competitiveness for society.
Science Festival 2025 – A conference to highlight women’s careers in science
The École Polytechnique opened its doors to the public for the Fête de la Science, an annual French-language event dedicated to scientific culture. Among the highlights was a conference showcasing four female researchers from the school, whose work covers fields as diverse as optics, hydrodynamics, and particle physics.
This initiative is part of a broader movement to break down the barriers that limit women’s access to scientific careers. Indeed, despite progress made, women remain underrepresented in science, particularly in the so-called “hard” disciplines. For example, in France, they represent only 15% of mathematics graduates and 22% of researchers in fundamental sciences.
The “4 Voices, 4 Sciences, 4 Intelligences” conference showcased inspiring female role models and demonstrated that women can excel in all scientific fields. These experiences illustrate that science is not reserved for one gender or a specific profile, but rather thrives on the diversity of backgrounds and approaches.
Science Festival 2025. A closer look at the four researchers and their groundbreaking work
Amélie Elouin: exploring cell migration using zebra-fish
At the Laboratory of Optics and Biosciences (LOB), she explores a fundamental area of biology: cell migration in the embryo. Using the zebra-fish, a transparent animal model, she can directly observe cell movements, which is crucial for understanding embryonic development. Her work has potential applications in medicine, particularly for understanding congenital malformations.
Science Festival 2025: Elise Muller: Plant Mechanics Under the Microscope
At the École Polytechnique Hydrodynamics Laboratory (LadHyx), she studies plant mechanics, a still largely unexplored field. By analyzing the Marchantia plant in microchannels, she seeks to understand how plants adapt to their environment.
This research can inspire innovations in biomimicry, for example to develop more sustainable materials or agricultural systems.
Science Festival 2025 – Juliette Authier: Unraveling the mysteries of quarks
At the Leprince-Ringuet Laboratory (LLR), she dedicates herself to particle physics, a fundamental field for understanding the structure of matter. Her work on quarks, the elementary particles that make up matter, contributes to broadening our understanding of the universe.
This research is essential for fundamental physics and for future technological applications.
Payvand Arjmand: Microscopy in the service of medicine
At the heart of the Laboratory of Optics and Biosciences (LOB), she develops super-resolution microscopes, a cutting-edge technology that allows the observation of biological structures at the nanoscale. Her work aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
This research is crucial to addressing the public health challenges related to the aging population
An event to inspire future generations
This conference highlighted the importance of diversity in science and mentorship in encouraging young people, especially young women, to pursue scientific careers. École Polytechnique thus reaffirmed its commitment to equal opportunities and the promotion of science for all.
By highlighting the career paths of female researchers, the event helped to show that science is accessible to everyone, regardless of the field.
These inspiring examples are essential to breaking stereotypes and encouraging young girls to pursue careers in science.
The Science Festival, in general, and this conference in particular, play a key role in raising public awareness and promoting scientific culture.
They help to strengthen interest in science and to inspire vocations, which is essential to meet the scientific and technological challenges of the 21st century.
A matter of justice, innovation and competitiveness
The place of women in science is a major societal issue. Increasing the representation of women in science is not only a matter of justice and equality, but also of innovation and competitiveness. Diverse research teams are better equipped to propose creative solutions tailored to society’s needs.
In France, women still represent less than a third of scientific researchers, and this figure has stagnated for several years (publicsenat.fr). This underrepresentation is the result of insufficient guidance of girls towards scientific fields, but also of differences in representation and results between girls and boys from primary school onwards.
Targeted actions, such as the “4 Voices, 4 Sciences, 4 Intelligences” conference, are necessary to break down barriers and value the contribution of women in science. These initiatives help change mindsets, promote female role models, and create a more inclusive environment.
5. Conclusion: an inspiring event for the future of science
The “4 Voices, 4 Sciences, 4 Intelligences” conference organized by École Polytechnique during the 2025 Science Festival was a landmark event. By highlighting the careers of exceptional female researchers, it helped to promote the role of women in science, break down stereotypes, and inspire future generations.
This event serves as a reminder that science is a field open to everyone, where the diversity of backgrounds and approaches is an asset. It also underscores the importance of promoting equal opportunities and creating inclusive environments to encourage young people, and especially young women, to pursue careers in science.
By highlighting the contributions of women scientists, the Science Festival helps to build a fairer, more innovative and more representative science, capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
Read the article: “X puts women in the spotlight for the Science Festival” on The web site of the École Polytechnique…
