The Master program prepares for research positions, either in the academic or in the industrial sphere. After the Master program, it is advised to continue to a PhD, although taking up a position directly in industry is also possible.
Jia Wang (graduate in 2007)
"After my double diploma major in the department of Mechanics and Engineering Sciences and minor at the National School of Development at Beijing University (Beida), I continued my studies at the École des Ponts ParisTech and at the École d'Architecture, de la Ville et des Territoires de Marne-la-Vallée for another double diploma. I did a one-year internship at Advitam (a subsidiary of Vinci group) which gave me some new ideas from the industrial side, and led to my decision to come back to sciences, but strongly related to industry. My choice was the Master program "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction". Now, I am working on a PhD on the fundamental understanding of the hydration mechanism in a new cement, which allows a significant reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. My scientific and industrial background, my international communication skills, are being well developed during my thesis program which is organized by Lafarge Research Center, École des Mines de Douai and CBMA (China Building Material Academy). I feel really grateful for all that this master has brought me: broad knowledge but to a high level, a critical approach, and especially a solid background in physical chemistry which has prepared me very well for my PhD studies. What is more, I would like to mention the friendly atmosphere, the frequent interactions between the students and the professors, which have become one of the best memories of my life in France."
Céline CONRARDY (graduate in 2007)
"Before entering the Master program "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction", I took courses in mechanics and physics at the École Polytechnique. I become interested in construction because this sector is seen as a very traditional one and yet innovation is playing a critical role: how can we accommodate the legitimate human desire for housing in a sustainable way? The master program offers high-level and diversified disciplines covering Physics, Applied Mathematics, Mechanics, Chemistry (inorganic and organic) and Eco-design. I am now doing my PhD with Lafarge at the University of Strasbourg on the formalization of inventive design and its link with optimization methods. In parallel, I completed my training by doing a Master on inventive design at INSA in Strasbourg. TheMaster "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction" gave me a basic language in different fields which are linked to the research of hydraulic binders and materials science. This was essential for my work in inventive design, which requires experts from different fields to work together. I also appreciated the “research” culture, both in the professors way of teaching and the opportunities given to students to go into subjects in more detail, either on their own or in groups."
Grégory Caratini (graduate in 2008)
"After studies in Civil Engineering at ENS Cachan, I decided to follow the Master program "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction" as my M2. I was attracted by the multidisciplinary approach centered around Materials Science. I very much enjoyed tackling this vast subject from the different points of view offered by Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanics. This is what I liked the most, since it enabled me to discover scientific cultures and languages that differed from my original training, i.e., Mechanics. I can now use these different approaches in my doctoral studies which I am now carrying out at the École des Ponts-ParisTech, on the subject of the behaviour of cementitious materials at high temperatures. Because it is at the crossroads between different scientific fields that future breakthroughs will occur."
Laurent Brochard (graduate in 2009)
"Before entering the Master program "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction" I studied at the École Polytechnique where I specialized in Physics and Mechanics. I chose this Master program for its multidisciplinarity: the themes that are tackled range from Physics to Mechanics, of course, but also to Chemistry and the Environment. I have now been doing a PhD for a year at the École des Ponts-ParisTech; I study the geological storage of CO2, which is a truly multidisciplinary topic which ranges from molecular physics up to reservoir mechanics. Every day I notice how important it is to be able to navigate from discipline to discipline in order not to remain stuck in a specific field. The Master program brought me this opening, which is mandatory in research today. The classes are in very distinct fields, but they can be understood even by non-specialists. This enables a mechanical engineer to discover the Chemistry of the materials he dimensions. I particularly liked the way in which the classes were taught: they were more than just simple lectures, they made you realize that research was just a few steps away."
Claire Marlière (graduate in 2010)
"Before entering the master program, I studied at the ESPCI ParisTech (School of Physics and Chemistry of the city of Paris, a French “Grande Ecole d'ingénieurs”). Being very interested in materials science, more particularly to the relationship between the structure at nano or microscopic scale and the macroscopic properties of materials, I decided to continue my education by following the "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction" master program at École des Ponts-ParisTech. The Master allowed me to complete my training, mainly in terms of mechanics, and gain theoretical and experimental knowledge through a multidisciplinary and multi-scale scientific approach. On the other hand, I enjoyed the teaching on subjects related to sustainable development and energy issues related to construction materials. I am now preparing a PhD student at Navier lab with Saint Gobain. I work on water retention in mortars, a topic allowing me to use the knowledge I gained at ESPCI and then during the "Materials Science for Sustainable Construction" Master Program."