Engineering sciences at ENS Paris-Saclay

 Our warmest thanks to Onaia Savary for allowing us to reprint this article published on 18 January 2024 on major-prepa.com

Civil Engineering and Environment Department (DGCE)

Interview with Fabrice GATUINGT, director of the DGCE teaching and research department (DER), Guillaume LE GUERN, department co-director and associate professor and Clément DESODT, associate professor.

What are the training objectives of your Civil and Environmental Engineering Department?

The aims of our Civil Engineering programme, like all the Engineering Science programmes at ENS Paris-Saclay, are to deepen students' understanding of fundamental concepts and to develop practical and technical skills.
In particular, the aim is to support and encourage students to engage in research and innovation by preparing a doctorate in this field of engineering science at the end of their training at ENS.
Graduates can then pursue a career in academic or industrial research, higher or secondary education, administration or engineering.

What are the main themes (areas of study) covered during the course?

The proposed course is based on civil engineering as a field of study, but it is more about understanding and mastering the scientific foundations embedded in the engineering sciences in this sector of activity. Scientific and technical models are therefore questioned and manipulated through the many themes offered by civil engineering: multi-scale modelling of the behaviour of today's and tomorrow's construction materials, study of the static and dynamic behaviour of mechanical civil engineering structures, modelling of the acoustic and thermal behaviour of buildings, modelling of the interfaces between a building and its environment (climatic effects, coupled behaviour of the ground), etc.
In addition to this highly disciplinary training, there are a number of activities designed to broaden knowledge, develop communication skills and pass on knowledge, as well as providing an introduction to scientific research.

What are the qualities expected of a graduate of the ENS?

Students from the Ecole Normale Supérieure who have completed the course have a solid base of scientific knowledge and skills. They have been able to develop a broad knowledge of civil engineering topics and tools. They have also developed cross-disciplinary skills and the ability to pass on knowledge, and in some cases have prepared for the competitive examination for the agrégation in civil engineering.
These qualities enable them, for example, to prepare a thesis or take up a position as an associate professor. But they are also particularly valued by companies in their engineering and R&D activities.

Could you say a few words about the training for the agrégation offered by your department?

The training for the agrégation offered by the civil engineering teaching and research department enables students to prepare for the national education entrance examination of the same name and to acquire in-depth knowledge of civil engineering.
A typical week's timetable reflects this bipolarity. Each week, students prepare a teaching-type activity by constructing experimental, scientific and technological lessons. The aim is to develop the teaching skills required for higher education and, more generally, communication skills.
At the same time, as a complement to more traditional teaching, 'design office' activities are offered. These enable students to familiarise themselves with the approaches and design methods used by civil engineers.

Can you think of any examples of students in ARPE/Interface/ARIA/ARTeQ, and what they studied there?

• Noémie Schifano, ARPE year 2020-2021, on Measuring the formation of deep waters in Antarctica using satellite data (University of Southampton).
• Annia Benchadi, ARPE year in 2022-2023, on the Mechanical performance and durability of self-healing concretes (Polytechnique Montréal).
• Arthur Calvi, Interface year in 2021-2022 (M2 MVA - ENS Paris-Saclay), internship on a deep learning model for semantic segmentation of satellite images. Analysis of time series of agricultural plots to detect anomalies in plant cycles and droughts.
• Nathan Carbonneau, Interface year in 2021-2022 (M2 Modélisation prospective : économie, environnement, énergie - Université Paris-Saclay), internship on the development of a method for dynamically calculating the carbon footprint of rail traffic.
• Marc Alecian, Interface year in 2022-2023 (M2 Economic Analysis and Policy - Paris School of Economics), then passed the IPEF competitive entrance exam - Civil servant.

What career opportunities are there (to your knowledge) after training at the ENS?

Teaching and academic research, of course, but also research engineering for major national companies: EDF, SNCF, etc. Integration into major national groups for consultancy and engineering assignments, integration into other senior government functions.

Would you like to add anything?

The civil engineering sectors on which our courses are based are sectors which, like others, must undergo major changes to meet the challenges of the ecological transition facing our modern societies.
Meeting this challenge calls for a great deal of innovation and research, which requires young people and a commitment to serving our society. If this is your professional ambition, the training offered by the Civil Engineering teaching and research department should be of interest to you.
 

Mechanical Engineering Department (DGM)

Interview with François LOUF, Director of the DGM's Teaching and Research Department (DER)

What are the training objectives in your department?

The aim of the Mechanical Engineering DER is to provide high-level scientific training in all areas of mechanics and to develop a technological culture in the fields of design and industrialisation.
This common core of training then enables our students to move towards what they are passionate about, in particular by choosing a Master 2 in Research in the fourth year.

What are the main themes (areas of study) covered during the course?

The scientific core complements and enriches the elements sometimes already seen in preparatory classes, both in SI and Physics. In particular, it covers the mechanics of rigid solids and deformable solids (mechanics of continuous media), robotics, fluid mechanics, the mechanics of materials, the dynamics of structures, waves and shocks in solids or fluids, and the numerical methods used to solve complex engineering, design and manufacturing problems.
Other topics are also covered, more closely related to design and industrialisation: power transmission, computer-aided design and manufacture, discrete-event systems, etc.

What are the qualities expected of a graduate of the ENS?

Thanks to their broad and varied training, graduates from the Ecole Normale Supérieure are capable of working on highly specialised problems linked to their progressive specialisation, but they are also capable of exchanging ideas with industrialists and researchers from other fields, and even other disciplines (mathematics, physics), thanks to their broad scientific and technological culture.
A "normalien" must also be capable of disseminating and illustrating scientific concepts, whether for teaching, research or industrial purposes. They need to be pedagogical!

Could you say a few words about the training for the agrégation offered by your department?

Training for the agrégation in Industrial Science, Mechanical Engineering option, is generally done in the third year, as part of a year that also leads to a degree: the Master 2 Formation à l'enseignement supérieur (FESup). We encourage our students to take this course, whether or not they wish to take the agrégation.
It enables them to consolidate their knowledge and develop their ability to pass it on. What's clear, is clear.
Finally, in our discipline, graduating from the ENS with an agrégation is a very positive point on a CV. It's a label that carries a lot of weight and is highly valued. And, of course, it gives you access to posts after ENS (or mostly after your thesis): CPGE, PRAG in engineering schools in particular.

Can you think of any examples of students in ARPE/Interface/ARIA/ARTeQ, and what they studied there?

Every year, some of our students choose to do an ARPE, ARIA or Interface year. For the moment, none of them have chosen to do the ARTeQ year. The ARPE years enable students to undertake a research placement in a laboratory abroad. This year, for example, a 3A student is working in a geosciences laboratory in Iceland. He is establishing numerical models of volcanic areas based on the finite element method. To do this, he is using ground deformations obtained using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) techniques. It is clear that mechanics and knowledge of numerical methods can be used to tackle complex problems that are far removed from the image of mechanics one might have in CPGE.
Regularly, as an Interface year, our students take a year of training in mathematics applied to problem solving, which can be found in mechanics. This enables them to take a calmer approach to a highly theoretical thesis.
Finally, one or two students take the ARIA course each year. For example, one of them recently worked on using AI techniques to detect defects, layer by layer, on a metal 3D printing machine (LPBF technology, Laser Powder Bed Fusion).

What career opportunities are there (to your knowledge) after training at the ENS Paris-Saclay?

Currently, 80% of our students go on to complete a thesis after their four years of training.
In the longer term, around half of our students work in the private sector, in the R&D departments of major industrial groups. A thesis with CIFRE funding (co-supervision by academics and industry) is a good springboard for this type of career.
Around 30% of our students go on to take the agrégation and become teachers in CPGEs, PRAGs in IUTs or engineering schools. The rest of our students (around 20%) go on to careers as researchers or teacher-researchers (maîtres de conférences) in higher education.

Nikola Tesla Department (ex-EEA)

Interview with Thomas RODET, Director of the Nikola Tesla Department of Education and Research (DER)

What are the training objectives in your department?

The aim of training at the Nikola Tesla Department of Teaching and Research (DER) at ENS Paris-Saclay is to train students to a very high scientific level, in both theoretical and practical skills.
To achieve this, the course lasts four years, without the management training, business law, etc., that you find in engineering schools.

What are the main themes (areas of study) covered during the course?

Our DER provides training in high-impact disciplines, with a view to transforming our society. Within the DER, there is a digital sciences track that trains for research in data processing, applied computing, automation, telecommunications and artificial intelligence.
There is also a second track that focuses on applied physics, electronics and energy conversion, leading to new solutions for electric mobility, nanotechnologies and the physics of large instruments.

What qualities are expected of a graduate of ENS Paris-Saclay?

You must be an excellent scientist, have a broad scientific knowledge of the field and be able to pass on scientific and experimental knowledge.

Could you say a few words about the training for the agrégation offered by your department?

We do not offer training for the agrégation in the strict sense of the term. We have developed two higher education courses to prepare our students for careers as researchers, teacher-researchers and teachers. We have a course in digital sciences and computing, and a course in electronics and energy conversion.
At the end of these two courses, around 80% of students go on to take the agrégation in industrial engineering, with a major in computer engineering and a minor in electrical engineering. Most of the time, we have the agrégation major in one of these two options.

Can you think of any examples of students in ARPE/Interface/ARIA/ARTeQ, and what they studied there?

Each year we have one or two students in each of these pathways. The ARPE year corresponds to students who have a very clear vision of the research project they want to pursue after their thesis.
Last year we had Paul Gaigne, who worked on CERN data in an Italian laboratory in Bari.
This year we have Maximillien Wemaere, who is doing a course in oceanography as part of his Interface in order to achieve his goal of becoming a researcher at IFREMER.

For the ARIA (Artificial Intelligence Research Year) and ARTeQ (Quantum Technology Research Year) thematic research years, we have Theo Gnassounou, who did the MVA Masters and is now doing a thesis on the analysis of electrical signals generated by the brain, using artificial intelligence tools.
We have Thomas Bersani, who after his ARTeQ year and his Master 2 in Research is starting a thesis on the development of computing processors adapted to the calculation of neural networks in order to reduce computer power consumption.

To your knowledge, what are the possible career opportunities after training at ENS Paris-Saclay?

After their training at the ENS, 90% of our DER students choose to go on to do a thesis. Of these 90%, half do a CIFRE thesis, i.e. paid for by a company.
After their thesis, 30% of our students go on to work in the private sector, 30% are researchers in a public body or teacher-researchers in a university or engineering school, and 40% choose to teach in preparatory classes, IUTs or engineering schools.

Would you like to add anything?

You can succeed if you're a woman studying in our DER. The current Minister for Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, is a former student of our department.
So if you're a woman, don't censor yourself. You have a rightful place among us and we're going to support you so that you can achieve great things.

Hall technologique - Bâtiment Nord

THE SCIENCE FOR ENGINEERING DIPLOMA (SPI)

The course lasts 4 years (instead of 3 in a traditional engineering school).

During the first year, Normalien-nes spend the first semester following a core curriculum common to each of the specialisations (mechanical, civil and electronics engineering). This enables them to discover the workings and topics covered in each of them. At the end of the semester, Normalien-nes choose a specialisation, which they will follow until the end of their course.
In the second year, students complete a Master 1. See the list of Masters courses.
The third year is rather special. Students from the Ecole Normale Supérieure can either take a year's training in higher education (M2FESup) and pass the agrégation, or specialise in research abroad for a minimum of nine months via Pre-doctoral research year abroad (ARPE), or complete their training in a subject other than their initial subject via Interface Year, sor carry out a year of thematic research.
The fourth year aims to validate a Master 2.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES

See the admissions page.

Read the students' testimonials.