Fiona O’Brien, a student in École Polytechnique’s Master of Science & Technology program “Economics for Smart Cities and Climate Policy”, was invited to present her joint research with Emma Jung, a master's student at TUM, at the TRA (Transport Research Arena). This year, Europe’s largest conference on transport research and innovation took place in Budapest from May 18–21, 2026. Fiona and Emma conducted their research on the impacts of the Paris low-emission zone on mobility and environmental outcomes as part of the “Cities and Transportation” course at l’X.
The ceremony formalizing Bernard Arnault’s sponsorship of École Polytechnique’s Institute of Mathematics and Fundamental Sciences project took place on July 2 at the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, attended by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin, and numerous prominent figures from the political, economic and academic worlds. This institute will host an ambitious program of research and scientific collaborations. Its future building, to be located in the heart of the Palaiseau campus by 2030, will be funded by an exceptional donation of 50 million euros from Bernard Arnault (X69).
The Polymath Summer School held its second edition at École Polytechnique from June 15 to 26, organized by Guillaume Dubach, a Monge Professor at École Polytechnique and a member of the Laurent Schwartz Center for Mathematics. The program included master classes, group discussions, and math games designed to introduce students to research.
Mathematics, a historic hallmark of École Polytechnique, lies at the heart of many contemporary strategic and technological challenges. To strengthen its international influence in this field and foster interdisciplinary collaboration, École Polytechnique announces the creation of an Institute of Mathematics and Fundamental Sciences, which will host an ambitious program of research and scientific collaboration. Its future building, to be located in the heart of the Palaiseau campus by 2030, will be funded through an exceptional €50 million donation from Bernard Arnault (X69).
Sergio Rajsbaum, researcher at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and CNRS, has spent seven months at École Polytechnique as a Gaspard Monge Visiting Professor. During his visit, he and Professor Éric Goubault further developed a new research line focused on the connections between epistemic logic and distributed computing. This was also the theme of an international workshop organized by the researchers on June 15 – 17, 2026.
Emmanuel Candès (X90) is a co-winner of the prestigious 2026 Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences. The Shaw Prizes, sometimes referred to as the “Asian Nobel Prizes,” honor scientists in three fields: astronomy, biological and medical sciences, and mathematics.
In May, Micah Goldblum, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Columbia University, spent four weeks at l’X as an Alliance Visiting Professor. His stay at the Center for Applied Mathematics (CMAP) enabled him and El Mahdi El Mhamdi, a professor at École Polytechnique, to advance their international scientific collaboration, which also involves PhD students from both institutions.
The École polytechnique incubator is launching its 1st network events, Ecosystem Days, themed and open to all innovation players. On 30 November, the first event will focus on intellectual property and legal issues. We look forward to seeing you there!
Abdoulaye Ndiaye (X2010) is the winner of the first Africa NextGen Economist Prize, which was presented on May 15, 2026, in Kigali, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum. The prize, created by the media outlets Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report in partnership with the African Development Bank, recognizes the best young African economist under the age of 40.
A photography exhibition titled “Architecture and Campus Life,” featuring photos taken by students, faculty, and staff of École Polytechnique of the iconic buildings and locations that are part of their daily lives, will be on display from May 5 to 22 in the School’s main building, ahead of the launch of a major renovation program scheduled to run through 2029.
Through a series of talks focusing on the work of female researchers and their career paths, École Polytechnique sought to demonstrate through real-life examples that women have a rightful place in science, thereby encouraging gender diversity within laboratories and research centres. Supported by the École polytechnique Foundation, this event brought together renowned scientists in astrophysics, artificial intelligence, bioengineering, biology, mathematics and plasma physics.
With more than 230 start-ups supported over the past ten years, École Polytechnique and its incubator, X-UP, are contributing to the growth of European entrepreneurship. Interdisciplinary research centres, support services, the X-FAB prototyping facility and the presence of entrepreneurs in the business incubator make the École Polytechnique’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation a unique environment that fosters creativity. Project leaders – whether they are students or researchers from École Polytechnique, other institutions within the Institut polytechnique de Paris, or from further afield – will find this the ideal place to bring their ideas to life.
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