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Henry DE PLINVAL, portrait of ISAE-SUPAERO’s new Director of Research and Educational Resources

Publication Date

29 September 2025

Category

Institute

Tag

News

Portrait

Research

Henry de Plinval arrived on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus last August, and has taken up his new post as the school's Director of Research and Educational Resources. Portrait of Henry Plinval.

Can you tell us about your background?

I began working in industry, at Safran, on inertial units: a rich experience from the point of view of technical subjects, industrial organisation, customer presence and requirements.

However, the research bug was already biting… and I decided to join ONERA in Toulouse in 2008. I then worked in automation, on different applications (aeronautics, space, naval – civil and defence), and did my thesis on vision-based UAV piloting. Later, in 2015, I was asked to become director of the UAV programme, in charge of this fascinating subject – on which ISAE-SUPAERO is also carrying out a lot of remarkable work.

In 2021, I wanted to take on more hierarchical responsibilities and I became deputy director of ONERA’s physics department: an opening onto subjects that are absolutely remarkable in their richness and technicality. I then took over as head of the low-speed wind tunnels department, a very complementary role because it is much more industrial.

I'm now at ISAE-SUPAERO, where I'm finding a lot of similarities with the various slices of life I've just mentioned! It's a great joy for me to rediscover these echoes of subjects I've come across before, to encounter both passion and excellence, and to discover and learn about dimensions I'm less familiar with.

Henry DE PLINVAL Director of Research and Educational Resources

What will your responsibilities be at ISAE-SUPAERO?

I’m in charge of the Research and Educational Resources Department. It’s an exciting role that covers a wide range of aspects. The first thing that strikes me is the quality of the people who make up this department: the human quality; the quality of the research that is carried out – often with remarkable resources; and the quality of the teaching.

My first task will be to continue to develop these qualities, but also to make them known both externally and internally. To do this, we will need to continue on the path of excellence in research and in the service of educational missions, with the considerable resources that have been allocated to them.

What issues do you consider to be priorities in your mission?

There are a number of important issues, some of which are particularly important for our business. The joint laboratory that we are building with ENAC is, of course, an essential decision that we must now make work, with the synergies and increased visibility that it will bring us.
Another key decision is the one that brings us into the dynamic of the University of Toulouse, which, here too, should see our international recognition grow even further.

Alongside these major moves, weneed to consolidate our teams, which have grown very strongly over the last ten years, and strengthen the balance between teaching, upstream research, partnerships, industrial contracts and European funding.

All of this is to ensure that we continue to be at the very top of teaching and research in the aeronautics and space fields that are our core business!

ISAE-SUPAERO acquires an innovative new additive manufacturing equipment

Publication Date

24 September 2025

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

News

Research

The inauguration of this new research facility was held on Tuesday 23 September on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus in the presence of financial and research partners.

Technology at the service of the sustainable aeronautics industry

WAAM technology makes it possible to manufacture large semi-finished parts using only the materials required. It therefore helps to reduce waste, limit the use of rare metals and improve the energy efficiency of manufacturing processes.

Thanks to its performance (more than 2 kg of material deposited per hour), it represents a promising alternative to traditional machining processes, particularly for parts such as jet engine masts or aircraft spars.

Research, training and industrial partnerships

This equipment will be used by our lecturers, PhD students and engineering students to explore new approaches to the design, multi-material manufacture and repair of high added-value aeronautical parts.

It will also pave the way for new industrial collaborations: a project is already underway with Segula Technologies, while discussions are underway with Airbus and Safran.

A collective investment in the future

The €700,000 acquisition of this machine was financed as part of a State-Region Plan Contract (CPER), with the support of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Occitanie Region and Toulouse Métropole. ISAE-SUPAERO also contributed by financing the infrastructure and installation of the equipment.

A further step towards responsible innovation

With the WAAM, ISAE-SUPAERO and the ICA are reinforcing their role as key players in the development of innovative, sustainable and competitive technologies, in line with the major challenges of the aerospace sector’s ecological and digital transition.

Inauguration de la machine WAAM - ISAE-SUPAERO / ICA

2025 edition of “La nuit des chercheurs”

Publication Date

15 September 2025

Category

Tag

Aerospace

Researcher

Science

Meet ISAE-SUPAERO researchers at the Nuit des Chercheurs de Toulouse, on October 3 at 6pm at the Halles de la Cartoucherie, on the theme of “Intelligence(s)”!

From 6pm to midnight, dive into science!

More than 200 passionate scientists slip away from their labs for an evening to share their discoveries with young and old in the festive, friendly atmosphere of the Halles de la Cartoucherie and its La Cabane theatre.

🔹 Le Grand labo – Experiments, experiments, games
🔹 Speed-searching – A researcher and you: 10 minutes of one-to-one discussion
🔹Dans le noir – Plunge into the dark, your ears won’t believe their eyes!
🔹 Les échappées inattendues du CNRS – Mini conferences
🔹 Bookmakers – Comics, graphic books, stories and tales
🔹Escape game “Research under stress
🔹 Le Bouche-à-oreille – A researcher explains his or her work in 1.30 minutes
🔹 SonIA – Sound and AI show (dance, theatre, video, sound and robotics)
🔹Liquid Light Show on the façades of the Halles de la Cartoucherie

Many researchers and doctoral students from ISAE-SUPAERO will be present ✨

– Nicolas André (teacher-researcher at DEOS),
– Valentin Badefort-Baril (PhD student at DEOS),
– Anaïs Bain (PhD student at DEOS),
– Louison Bocquet-Nouaille (PhD student at DISC),
– Caroline Chanel (teacher-researcher at DCAS),
– Olfa d’Angelo (Post-doctoral student at DEOS),
– Julien Doche (PhD student at DCAS),
– Pierre Giudicelli-Vernet (PhD student at DEOS),
– Yves Gourinat (Lecturer at the DMSM, based in Albi),
– Alexandre Neyret (PhD student at DEOS),
– Jois Shreyank (PhD student at DEOS),
– Christine Tasson (teacher-researcher at DISC),
– Damien Vivet (researcher at DEOS), Maximilian Von Arnim (PhD student at DEOS).

Full programme

“Futurs Proches” Festival in October 9: tickets are now available!

Publication Date

11 September 2025

Category

Event

Tag

Corporate responsibility

Decarbonization

Event

News

Social responsibility

Sustainability

2nd Futurs Proches Festival

Futurs Proches #2 aims to bring together the entire university community to discuss the challenges of environmental and societal transition: raising awareness, taking action and becoming a player in the transition!

Staff, students and doctoral students, this free festival is for you!

You are warmly encouraged to discover and take part in the activities on offer from among the more than 250 events programmed on all the campuses in Toulouse and those of the 10 University Towns of the Toulouse COMUE.

A variety of formats: Shows, Theatre, Music, Sports activities, Walks and Visits, Workshops and Treasure Hunts, Conferences, Games and Escape Games, Forums, Exhibitions, Villages, etc.

Various themes: Climate, Biodiversity, Sexuality, Health-Wellbeing, Industry-Technology, Food, Water, Mobility, Economy, Aeronautics-Space, Equality, Disability, over 23 different themes.

The Institute's programme on 9 October

Various activities will be taking place on our campus, including a biodiversity walk, an escape game on disability, a conference on sustainable aviation, the screening of a film in competition at the International Environmental Film Festival followed by a discussion, a workshop on gender stereotypes, a debate on space tourism, a “healthy and responsible eating” breakfast workshop, a seminar on space debris, para-escalation, and much more…

Don’t hesitate to sign up!

Capacity is sometimes very limited, so don’t delay!

@Staff: you are encouraged to take part in the activities! Just let your management know.

@Students: call for volunteers: we need volunteers to welcome the public on Thursday 9 October. More detailed information will be sent to you shortly, but if you’re interested in joining the organisation and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the event, don’t hesitate to let us know: remy.dumonteil@isae-supaero.fr

TICKETS

5th edition of the “Defense and Innovation” Forum

Publication Date

08 September 2025

Category

Tag

Conference

Defence

Event

Innovation

Defence Innovation Forum 2025

Innovating to prepare for tomorrow's defence

The Defence Innovation Agency is organising the 5ᵉ edition of the Defence Innovation Forum (DIF).

This event will be held:

📍Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles
🗓️27, 28 and 29 November.

The programme for this not-to-be-missed event includes:

➕100 innovation projects on show,
➕100 exhibitors in the ecosystem area,
🎤conferences and round tables,
🤖pitching and entertainment.

📋Registrations are now open on the dedicated website ➡️ www.defense.gouv.fr/fid

“Futurs Proches” Festival

Publication Date

04 September 2025

Category

Tag

Event

Sustainability

This year’s event will take place over 2 days: 9 and 10 October 2025.

Futurs proches is the first festival of campuses in transition, co-organised by the Toulouse Community of Universities and Colleges and its partners. Futurs Proches aims to raise awareness, inform and involve the entire university community.

Find out more

Commitments

Social

Promoting accessibility and inclusiveness
Promoting equality and diversity
Preventing and reducing risks
Combating discrimination and SGBV

Environmental

Reducing the impact of mobility
Respecting natural sites, green spaces and biodiversity
Reducing our energy footprint
Conserving resources and limiting waste
Combating food waste
Offering local, seasonal and vegetarian foods

French-Korean workshop: “Cryogenic hydrogen for aviation”.

Publication Date

04 September 2025

Category

Tag

Event

Research

Science

Workshop

from 13 to 14 October 2025
in the ISAE-SUPAERO thesis room

“Hydrogen is a breakthrough technology for decarbonizing aviation. Given its high energy content and its ability to propel aircraft without emitting carbon, it represents a key avenue that ISAE-SUPAERO has been exploring for several years.

Given South Korea’s technological lead in this field, the organization of a Franco-Korean workshop on hydrogen for aeronautics represents an opportunity to share best practice and the latest research into the use of hydrogen on board, particularly cryogenic hydrogen”.

Rather than being a forum for discussing the future of air transport, this scientific workshop aims to tackle the technological challenges associated with hydrogen propulsion, by giving the floor to those who are actually doing it, rather than those who are putting forward hypotheses or definitive opinions without any experimental proof.

This is why Korean speakers from the best industrial and research centres, as well as French speakers from the academic and industrial worlds, will come together to share their discoveries.

For ISAE-SUPAERO, committed to training our future engineers in environmentally-friendly techniques, this workshop is a springboard for strengthening our scientific exchanges with Korea and federating the French ecosystem committed to the decarbonization of aviation.

Open Day 2025

Publication Date

22 August 2025

Category

Tag

Open day

ISAE-SUPAERO opens its doors!

Join us on Saturday 11 October 2025, from 10am to 6pm, on our 22-hectare Toulouse campus dedicated to innovation, research and training. You’ll be able to get an inside look at one of the world’s leading aerospace engineering schools.

On the programme:
🔬 Scientific and technological demonstrations with over 70 events, demonstrations and workshops in our laboratories and research platforms
👩‍🎓 Meetings with over 200 enthusiastic volunteers: students, scientists, professors, staff, alumni, etc.
🤝 Discussions about training courses and career opportunities
🎭 Community and cultural activities on campus throughout the year

Young and old can explore our simulators, drone aviaries, wind tunnels, educational workshops and discover the innovative projects shaping the future of aeronautics and space.

📍 ISAE-SUPAERO Campus – 10 avenue Marc Pélegrin, Toulouse
🚇 Easy access by public transport (bus, metro Ramonville or Faculté de Pharmacie)
🍔 Catering: several foodtrucks present for the day

Free admission

Discover the programme!

A look back at the 2024 edition

Journée Portes Ouvertes & Baptême des 1A - 2024

First edition of the Occitanie Talent Marketplace fair

Publication Date

22 July 2025

Category

Innovation

Tag

Entrepreneurship

Fair

Innovation

Promoting multidisciplinarity and the growth of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem

Organised in partnership with IMT Mines Albi-Carmaux, TBS Education, Toulouse INP-ENSEEIHT, theUniversityof Toulouse, the Pôle Universitaire d’Innovation (UT-PUI), as well as the Occitanie Region and Toulouse Tech Transfer, this event aims to meet the growing recruitment needs of startups, while promoting multidisciplinarity and the growth of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The concept? To provide a unique platform for start-ups incubated in the region’s higher education establishments to meet and recruit talent from other Toulouse schools.

The aim is to match the human resources of higher education institutions with the needs of startups.

One day / Two programmes

Exhibitor/startup programme

A rich and varied series of conferences

9.10am – 9.30am: Legal and contractual issues, with Catherine Youssoupov – NUBBO ;
9.30am – 9.50am: recruitment processes/skills assessments, with Hervé Simonot, CEO, co-founder – Cabinet Lapérouse;
9h50 – 10h10 : how to define your “boardadvisor”- BPI’s recruitment tools (Tandem/ Tango), with Valentin POUX, Innovation Business Manager – Aveyron Lot Tarn Delegation – BPI France;
10.10am – 10.30am: “APEC actions and the Start-up shaker programme”, with Corinne SAURAT, Business Consultant, Occitanie Regional Office – APEC;
10.30am – 10.50am: HR in startups, with Frank Barrault, Corporate Relations Officer – France Travail.

Programme for the general public

Open from 1pm to 5pm, the Occitanie Talent Marketplace will be an opportunity for the public to find out about local start-up projects and job opportunities.

A lever for innovation and collaboration

The event has a number of strategic objectives for the regional ecosystem:

Promoting multidisciplinarity among start-ups: By bringing together start-ups with talent from a variety of academic backgrounds, the event encourages a more comprehensive and varied approach to solving entrepreneurial challenges.
Improving mutual knowledge of skills and talents: Toulouse schools will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the expertise and talent available in other establishments, facilitating smoother and more effective collaboration.
Strengthening the regional roots of start-ups: By promoting links between start-ups and local resources, the Occitanie Talent Marketplace aims to consolidate the position of companies in the economic fabric of the Occitanie region, thereby stimulating growth and innovation.

Startups: recruit the talent of tomorrow!

Are you a start-up coming out of a regional higher education incubator and looking to enrich your teams with top-level talent? Don't miss the opportunity to take part in the Occitanie Talent Marketplace! It's the perfect opportunity to meet students and recent graduates from a range of institutions in Toulouse, ready to help your project succeed. Join us to discuss your recruitment needs and discover the skills that will make the difference to your growth.

Contact: innov-up@isae-supaero.fr

Information and registration

ISAE-SUPAERO awarded Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility (SD&CSR) label

Publication Date

01 July 2025

Category

Institute

Tag

Corporate responsibility

Label

Social responsibility

Sustainability

L'ISAE-SUPAERO obtient le label DD&RS

Engagée de longue date dans la transition environnementale et sociétale, l’ISAE-SUPAERO rejoint le cercle des grandes écoles d’ingénieurs reconnues par le label DD&RS. Une distinction qui vient couronner plusieurs années d’initiatives structurantes en matière de développement durable et de responsabilité sociétale.

Le label, qui comporte plusieurs niveaux de maturité, évalue la démarche des établissements sur cinq grands axes : gouvernance, formation, recherche, gestion environnementale et politique sociale. Ce cadre d’analyse systémique couvre l’ensemble des 17 Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD) définis par l’ONU.

Administré par le CIRSES, le label permet aux établissements engagés d’intégrer une dynamique d’amélioration continue de mutualiser les bonnes pratiques et de valoriser leurs actions à l’échelle nationale. L’ISAE-SUPAERO rejoint ainsi une communauté d’une cinquantaine d’établissements labellisés.

Pour l’ISAE‑SUPAERO, il récompense une trajectoire cohérente et ambitieuse, amorcée avec la feuille de route « Horizons » ainsi que ses engagements en matière d’inclusion, diversité et d’ouverture sociale.

Une démarche structurée autour de la feuille de route « Horizons »

L’obtention du label s’inscrit dans la continuité du déploiement de la feuille de route « Horizons », initiée en 2021. Ce document cadre fixait les priorités de l’Institut en matière de transition écologique, qu’il s’agisse de son offre de formation, de sa recherche, de ses pratiques administratives ou de la gestion de son patrimoine. Un groupe de travail multidisciplinaire, mobilisant personnels, enseignants-chercheurs et étudiants, a été chargé du pilotage de la démarche et de la constitution du dossier de labellisation.

L’établissement s’est notamment engagé à renforcer l’intégration des enjeux environnementaux dans les cursus de ses formations, à faire évoluer les critères de soutenabilité dans ses projets de recherche et à réduire son empreinte carbone.

« Ce label acte l’engagement collectif de l’Institut — étudiants, enseignants, chercheurs, personnels — à intégrer les enjeux de durabilité dans toutes nos activités, au sein de notre campus et autour des trois piliers de notre organisation : la formation, la recherche et l’innovation. Cette démarche globale DD&RS nous permet de mettre en avant nos actions, de les poursuivre et de les renforcer, pour progresser sur tous les axes, car c’est un projet d’amélioration continue », déclare Emilie Tota, Directrice adjointe, en charge de la politique de développement durable et sociétale de l’Institut.

Des actions concrètes dans les programmes de formation et sur le campus

Côté formation, notre Institut a structuré une offre avec notamment une refonte complète de sa formation ingénieur pour répondre pleinement à ces enjeux. Intégration d’enseignements en ingénierie environnementale, analyse du cycle de vie, éco-conception, modélisation énergétique : nos parcours intègrent les dimensions sociétales et environnementales pour une ingénierie responsable, engagée et durable.

En parallèle, de nombreux travaux de recherche s’intègrent dans la matrice DD&RS avec des projets liés à la décarbonation tels que le Référentiel Aviation Climat, AéroMAPS, le projet Mermoz, Genhyo, la recherche en Multidisciplinary design optimization – MDO, etc.). L’ISAE-SUPAERO développe également des partenariats de recherche avec des industriels majeurs, tels qu’Airbus via la chaire CEDAR, Daher à travers la chaire ISAAR, et Thales avec la chaire ODYCéE, tous centrés sur les enjeux de la transition écologique et l’innovation technologique. Ces collaborations soutiennent une recherche appliquée visant à réduire l’empreinte carbone et à renforcer la durabilité dans le secteur aéronautique, en répondant aux défis techniques et environnementaux actuels.

Sur le campus, une politique active a été mise en œuvre : audit et rénovation énergétique des bâtiments, rationalisation des mobilités quotidiennes, développement de dispositifs de sensibilisation internes (fresques, ateliers, formation des primo-entrants). Gestion des déchets et alimentation durables accompagnent également ces actions.

Un engagement sociétal affirmé

Parallèlement à sa stratégie durable, l’ISAE SUPAERO poursuit son engagement social à travers le programme OSE l’ISAE‑SUPAERO, initié en 2006. Ce dispositif d’ouverture sociale — labellisé « Cordées de la Réussite » — mobilise chaque année environ 150 étudiants bénévoles pour accompagner plus de 1 100 collégiens et lycéens issus de quartiers prioritaires ou de zones rurales. Le tutorat hebdomadaire, les ateliers scientifiques, techniques et sportifs, ainsi que les journées d’immersion visent à favoriser l’orientation scolaire, renforcer les vocations scientifiques, promouvoir les carrières scientifiques auprès des jeunes filles, et soutenir la réussite des élèves en situation de handicap. Depuis 2022, le dispositif OSE InGÉ étend cet accompagnement aux élèves de classes préparatoires, avec un mentorat individuel assuré par des alumni, stages d’immersion et soutien méthodologique pour près de 91 étudiant·es, majoritairement des femmes et des élèves boursiers.

L’ISAE‑SUPAERO conduit par ailleurs une politique de tolérance zéro en matière de harcèlement, de discrimination et de violences sexistes et sexuelles (HDVS), s’appuyant sur une démarche exigeante de prévention et de traitement des actes de HDVS. Depuis 2019, un plan dédié encadre des actions de sensibilisation auprès des personnels et des apprenants. Il prévoit également un dispositif de signalement, ainsi qu’un accompagnement fondé sur l’écoute active des victimes et des témoins.

L’Institut déploie en parallèle une politique soutenue en faveur de l’égalité femmes-hommes, portée par des référents et des actions structurantes.

Il affirme également son engagement en matière d’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap à travers, entre autres, une charte et une convention contribuant à l’accompagnement des apprenants dans leurs études et leur insertion professionnelle et la compensation de la situation de handicap au travail des personnels.

Un positionnement en cohérence avec les évolutions du secteur aéronautique

Dans un contexte de mutation accélérée de l’industrie aéronautique, la labellisation DD&RS vient consolider le positionnement de l’ISAE‑SUPAERO. En tant qu’acteur de référence dans la formation des ingénieurs du secteur, l’établissement entend conjuguer exigence scientifique et responsabilité environnementale et sociétale.

Le label DD&RS, constitue à la fois une reconnaissance institutionnelle et un cadre d’amélioration continue.

« Décarboner l'aérien : une industrie en transition »

Un podcast en 5 épisodes par Le Journal de l'Aviation

Nicolas Gourdain, professeur et chercheur au Département d'aérodynamique, d'énergétique et de propulsion de l'ISAE-SUPAERO (dans les domaines de l'aviation, du climat et de l'énergie, y compris l'atténuation et l'adaptation) et à l'Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA), intervient dans l'épisode n°4 dédié aux compétences et à la formation.

Intitulé « Décarboner l'aérien, vers un nouveau système de compétences », cet épisode se focalise sur les nouveaux besoins en compétences que la transition écologique de l'aéronautique va susciter, avec la montée des nouvelles filières à hydrogène, l'électrification, le développement du numérique… sur les plans industriels, de l'ingénierie et de l'analyse de données.

Pour écouter le podcast