École Polytechnique has confirmed its top position in the annual ranking of French engineering schools published by the specialist magazine L’Usine Nouvelle. L’X confirmed its top position in two of the four indicator categories in this ranking: internationalization and the integration of its students into professional life. It also secured first place in research, a category in which it ranked third in 2025.
Since its creation in 2009, the Mathematical Modelling and Biodiversity Chair (MMB), supported by École Polytechnique and its Foundation, in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History and supported by Veolia, has been exploring the major challenges of biodiversity at the interface between applied mathematics and ecology. Through interdisciplinary research programmes, scientific meetings and training initiatives, the Chair brings together nearly 150 experts from international laboratories and research institutions to address fundamental questions about population dynamics, evolution and ecosystem resilience.
Nanomaterials are much talked-about, but the methods for making them are still the subject of fundamental research, especially when high temperatures are required. At the Laboratory of Condensed Matter for Physics, a research team is exploring new ways of synthesizing them, using molten salts and lasers.
Nicolas Roche, the Secretary-General for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), spoke to engineering students from the X23 and X24 classes about the latest 'National Strategic Review', which was coordinated by the SGDSN. He emphasised the importance of paragraph 112 of the review, which summarises the central scenario of the French authorities – preparing for war – and encouraged Polytechnique students to play their full part in it.
After studying science, where she developed a passion for computer science, Manon Blanc completed a PhD at the École Polytechnique's Computer Science Laboratory (LIX*). She has received the Saclay Plateau STIC PhD Prize and the L'Oréal-UNESCO Young Talents Prize. Interview.
Bertrand Bessagnet, a CNRS Research Director affiliated with École Polytechnique, conducted the first study on air quality modeling at such resolution over Bhutan. Using the cutting-edge CHIMERE model, the research study was conducted in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and the Jigme Singye Wangchuck Law University in Bhutan. The findings of the research study have now been published.
Since 2019, the Chair in Space Science and Challenges, led by Professor Pascal Chabert and supported by ArianeGroup, Safran and the École Polytechnique Foundation, has affirmed École Polytechnique's commitment to training future experts in the space sector. Based on demanding scientific teaching, ambitious space projects carried out at the Student Space Centre (CSEP), visits to industrial sites, meetings with industry players, and the development of real space missions, the Chair is positioned as a strategic lever for preparing talented individuals capable of meeting the major technological and societal challenges of tomorrow's aerospace industry.
Experiments reveal defects in the structure of superionic water at high pressures, a phase that remains mysterious and could be present inside planets such as Uranus and Neptune. This is the result of an international collaboration led by scientists from the Intense Lasers Laboratory (LULI*), the University of Rostock, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and other European and American institutions**. It is published in Nature Communications
A collaboration involving researchers from the Center for Theoretical Physics (CPHT*) has proposed a theoretical formalism that provides a description of gravity and gravitational waves at the “edge” of the universe. This breakthrough could provide tools for unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Clémie Teston is studying for a dual degree at École Polytechnique and HEC Paris. This programme enables her to pursue her passion for science, particularly mathematics, while developing her management skills. This year, she organised the X-Forum with almost 60 École Polytechnique students, putting her knowledge to good use. This annual, two-day event is entirely dedicated to employability and student–business relations.
As part of their advanced studies, third-year Cycle Ingénieur Polytechnicien students can opt for experimental mechanics courses. Nine sessions allow them to develop a scientific project at the cutting edge of theory and practice. Twenty projects are currently underway, several of which focus on environmental issues.
École Polytechnique and the Italian higher education institution Bocconi are launching two dual-degree programs in Finance and Artificial Intelligence. Laura Fioni, Director of Degree Programs at l’X, signed the new agreement with Francesco Saita, Dean of International Affairs at Bocconi, on December 2, 2025.
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