An engineer and researcher, Pierre Rouchon combines applied mathematics, engineering and physics to solve complex scientific problems. After graduating from theÉcole polytechnique (X80), he joined the Corps des mines before specializing in process engineering, a field that applies physical chemistry to large-scale industrial installations. His thesis focused on the study and management of systems for separating different elements in industrial processes. In 2000, he was awarded a Habilitation à Direire des Recherches (HDR) in mathematics.
His academic career led him to teach applied mathematics at the École Polytechnique from 1993 to 2005. At Mines Paris – PSL, he headed the Centre Automatique et Systèmes (CAS) between 1997 and 2002, then the Mathematics and Systems department until 2018. He contributed to the development of the real-time algorithm used by the team of Serge Haroche, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, during the first experimental realization in 2011 of a quantum feedback loop controlling photons. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Quantic team, made up of researchers from the Laboratoire de Physique de l’École Normale Supérieure (LPENS), Mines Paris – PSL and the Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (INRIA). The main objective of this interdisciplinary team, made up of physicists and applied mathematicians, is to develop both methods and experimental devices, ensuring robust processing of quantum information.
Pierre Rouchon’s work earned him the IMT-Académie des sciences Grand Prix in 2017 and the title of Commander of the Palmes académiques in 2023.
Crédit Académie des sciences – Mathieu Baumer.
Major contributions to control theory and quantum technologies
Pierre Rouchon’s work is distinguished by its influence in both fundamental research and industrial applications. He is recognized for several major advances:
- The theory of differentially flat systems: these systems, frequently encountered in industry, make it possible to simplify trajectory management and increase the efficiency of complex processes. Thanks to this approach, planning and control problems that were previously difficult to solve can now be dealt with more simply and quickly.
- Asymptotically invariant observers: this concept has changed the way we analyze and control real-time systems. It led to the development of the invariant Kalman filter, a tool used in navigation and robotics to improve the accuracy of positioning systems.
- Quantum control: in 2011, Pierre Rouchon helped set up the first quantum feedback loop, a device for controlling photons, a milestone in the advancement of quantum technologies.
For several years now, as part of the Quantic team, he has been working on the modeling and control of quantum systems. By exploring the complex phenomena associated with decoherence, his research aims to improve our ability to control quantum systems, a field essential to the future of information and communication technologies.
Pierre Rouchon officially welcomed under the dome of the Institut de France
On June 3, 2025, Pierre Rouchon was officially welcomed as a member of the Academy of Sciences during a formal ceremony held at the Institut de France. This momentous occasion, both scientific and symbolic, marked the professor’s official entry into the Academy, one year after his election in 2024 to the Mechanical and Computer Sciences section.
Credit: Académie des sciences – Mathieu Baumer.
On this occasion, Pierre Rouchon gave an acceptance speech entitled “Dynamics and control of classical and quantum systems,” tracing his research career through two major milestones: flat system theory and quantum control.
See the slides
With clarity and insight, he recalled that automation—a discipline at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and experimental science—is an essential pillar of modern engineering, omnipresent in industrial, robotic, energy, and now quantum systems.
The goal of automation is to make the systems around us easy to use, i.e., both precise and robust in the face of uncertainty.
Looking back on his seminal work in the 1990s on differentially flat systems, he illustrated how this concept has led to concrete advances in trajectory planning for complex systems, such as vehicles with trailers.
He then shared his involvement since the 2000s in the field of quantum control, highlighting his pioneering collaboration with Serge Haroche’s team and the iconic “photon box” experiment:
This experiment demonstrates the basic rules of quantum mechanics in a particularly simple and evocative way using a classical controller.
Today, his research is focused on the development of hybrid control structures combining classical and quantum computing, with direct applications for emerging quantum technologies, such as the “chat qubits” developed by the startup Alice & Bob.
His presentation, which was both technical and personal, concluded with a heartfelt tribute to the institutions, colleagues, students, and family members who have supported him throughout his career, as well as a sincere commitment to the Academy’s missions:
I am both happy and moved to be here. Thank you, dear colleagues, for welcoming me. I am honored and humbled.
Watch the broadcast of the ceremony
Pierre Rouchon at 01:35:00
Recognition for research at CAS de Mines Paris – PSL
Pierre Rouchon’s election to the Académie des Sciences also recognizes the excellence of the Centre Automatique et Systèmes (CAS) at Mines Paris – PSL. This laboratory specializes in the theory and control of dynamic systems. Thanks to his work, Pierre Rouchon is helping to highlight the research carried out at CAS, which is positioned among the major players in the development of advanced control technologies, particularly quantum technologies.
To find out more
Pierre Rouchon, Simulation dynamique et commande non linéaire des colonnes à distiller, PhD thesis, Applied Sciences, Paris ENMP, 1990.
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Article Prolonged control of cat qubits: a breakthrough in quantum computing published in “Nature”.
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Pierre Rouchon’s CV on the CAS website :
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