@ nathalie.lidgi-guigui _at_ univ-paris13.fr

C.V.

Research

I am a senior lecturer at the University Sorbonne Paris Nord since 2010. My research focuses on the study of molecular plasmonics and its application to Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS).

I like to take my research topics from the design of the samples to their applications through the study of physical phenomena. My team and I are working in nano-fabrication to find new large-scale surface nanostructuring processes. We study the plasmonic properties of these nanostructures and we use the SERS effect in the context of collaborations with biologists or environmental specialists. For example, we have demonstrated that it is possible to detect proteins in complex media such as blood or urine. In recent years, I have become increasingly interested in the issue of water pollution. Molecular detection in environmental waters involves developing new scientific issues around molecular plasmonics: how to find a rare chemical species in a very large volume of water? How to target a particular molecule? And how to analyse extremely complex spectra

The study of plasmonics also led us to consider using the optical properties of gold nanoparticles to assist certain chemical reactions such as the thiol-ene reaction or the grafting of diazonium salts. This has allowed us to develop a method for regio-selective surface functionalisation.

Teaching

I teach at the University Sorbonne Paris Nord and I do most of my teaching at the IUT of Saint Denis (University Institute of Technology, where technical engineer are trained), within the département of material sciences and engineering. In this context, I like to try out new teaching methods such as games or the use of smartphones. I have also been in charge of projects at the Biological Engineering department of the Bobigny IUT, I invited students to work on the popularisation of their knowledge for primary schools children.

Popularisation

Science popularisation is the last but not least of my professional activities. I like to involve my students in this activity, which is how the “Recrues des Sciences” project was born. 400 children from working class areas were invited to participate in activities designed by the students. Other projects are described in the ‘popularisation’ section of this website, such as the ‘Nano Factory‘ project, in which the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of a clean room are explained. Or the project “Metamorphosis of materials“, which explains how a process is developed in a scientific way.

Since September 2022, I am in charge of the mission Sciences & Society of the University Sorbonne Paris Nord. I participate in the elaboration of the university’s strategy to communicate the results of the research carried out in its laboratories to as many people as possible. At the same time, the Institute of Physics of the CNRS asked me to co-pilot a working group on scientific culture as part of its 2030 prospective.