Margherita Castellano will represent IP Paris in the national finals of the MT 180 competition

She had already impressed the judges at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris’s local MT 180 finals last March, where she won first prize from the jury and the audience award. Margherita Castellano sealed the deal in the regional final on April 16 at La Terrasse in Gif-sur-Yvette, winning the audience award alongside Maïa Grasset (Paris-Saclay University), who received first prize from the jury, and Simon Cahen (Paris-Est Créteil University), who received second prize from the jury. Congratulations to her and her fellow finalists!

The PhD student from the Center for Applied Mathematics (CMAP*) at École Polytechnique will therefore compete in the national final of the MT180 competition on May 28, 2026, in Lille. She will join the first-place jury winner from the regional final on stage at the Théâtre Sébastopol, along with 20 other candidates from across the country.

Since the beginning of her participation in the competition, Margherita Castellano has been presenting her thesis titled “Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard Equations with Surfactants.” In it, she mathematically describes the interaction between two fluids that do not mix when small molecules that alter surface tensions (surfactants) are present. The goal of this highly fundamental research is to better understand the dynamics at play in this physical situation. 

“It’s a difficult task because you have to explain a very technical and complex subject by finding the right analogies. But it’s so rewarding. It’s a real pleasure to be here,” she confided, still visibly moved, during the awards ceremony for the regional final, while warmly thanking Valérie Druguet and Elodie Chabrol, the coaches who have been guiding the IP Paris candidates since the start of this adventure. 

At the IP Paris local final, the doctoral student was selected for the regional final alongside Magali Korolev (Center for Theoretical Physics - CPHT**) and Kate Sorg (Laboratory of Optics and Biosciences - LOB***). Congratulations to them as well for their performances!

Every year since its inception in 2014, the MT180 competition has aimed to make science accessible to as many people as possible, to introduce the public to ongoing research, to promote the value of the Ph.D., and to train young scientists in science communication. 

From left to right : Margherita Castellano, Maïa Grasset, Simon Cahen

Photo Credits : Angélique Gilson