Itinérances - Ph.D Student Portrait - Kellian Cottart

Itinérances is a portrait of my journey as a Ph.D. student, at the crossroads of scientific research, personal passion, and intellectual curiosity. This short film explores my daily life in the lab, the motivations that drive my work, and the ideas that shape my approach to science.

Life in the Lab

I am currently a Ph.D. student at C2N (Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies), in Paris, France. My research takes place at the interface between machine learning, hardware, and neuroscience-inspired computing. The laboratory is a place of experimentation and theory, a space of exploration, doubt, creativity, and persistence. This portrait captures the rhythm of research: long hours of thinking, sudden insights, and the satisfaction of progress, often invisible from the outside. A place where collaboration, passion, discovery and unexpected meetings flourish.

Research Focus

My work focuses on neuromorphic computing, with a particular interest in Bayesian neural network algorithms deployed directly on hardware. I explore how uncertainty-aware learning can be implemented efficiently on devices, enabling robust and energy-efficient inference.

In our team, we are targeting advancements in in-memory computing, where computation is performed where data is stored. This paradigm challenges the traditional separation between memory and processing, opening new directions for scalable and low-power artificial intelligence systems.

Beyond Research

Itinérances is also about what surrounds science: the passions that coexist with research, the personal drive that sustains long-term commitment, and the human dimension behind technical work.

This film reflects my belief that research is a journey: intellectual, emotional, and sometimes uncertain shaped by curiosity and the desire to understand and build.

I hope this portrait resonates with fellow researchers, students, and anyone curious about the life of a Ph.D. student and the world of scientific research.