ECTS
120 credits
Duration
2 years
Training structure
Faculty of Science
Language(s) of instruction
French, English
Presentation
Become a researcher in Living Matter Physics!
Biological phenomena and systems represent a new paradigm of complex active and self-regulating matter, governed by laws that are still mostly unknown. To study them, we must use the most innovative physical principles, methods and techniques. The PhIMV program will prepare you for fundamental and applied research in the physics of living matter.
91%
Success rate
Objectives
The objective of your training will be to acquire the disciplinary skills and attitude of a physicist in the study of complex matter and biological systems and, also, to learn to interact and collaborate with scientists from other disciplines (biology, chemistry, medicine, electronics, bioinformatics, etc.) in research at the interface between physics and biological sciences.
You will learn about advanced physical technologies that are used in public research laboratories as well as in companies operating in the biotechnology, diagnostic and medical industries.
You will benefit from an interdisciplinary teaching team and a well-established network of research institutions in the Montpellier area, in France and abroad.
In conclusion, the PhIMV program offers high-level training in a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field, with the discovery of physical principles and methods for studying life and its evolution.
Know-how and skills
- Learn the basics of how new non-invasive experimental techniques, visualization and super-resolution microscopy, single molecule manipulation experiments, biomimetic, microfluidic, biosynthetic approaches, and large physical instruments for exploring the properties of matter work. These are cutting-edge technologies that link physics to the disciplines of quantitative, computational, integrative and systems biology, to bioinformatics and bioengineering.
- Train in experimental techniques and develop the skills most in demand by participating in hands-on work led by leading experts in the field.
- Learn and master the analytical, numerical and simulation tools from physics, mathematics and computer sciences, necessary for modeling complex systems, analyzing experimental data and setting up quantitative and predictive models of the studied phenomena.
- Explore new concepts in fundamental physics: molecular motors and switches, thermodynamics of small systems, active systems, stochastic systems, regulation, information, evolution, etc.
- During your internship project in a laboratory, you will learn about the techniques and daily life of research, the values of teamwork and the importance of scientific discussion and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Organization
Knowledge control
https://mcc.umontpellier.fr/ includes all the teaching units (UE) and their knowledge control methods
Internships, tutored projects
Internship | Mandatory |
|---|
The PhIMV master program includes two internships of different duration. The first internship (10 ECTS) will take place in M1S2 and has a minimum duration of 2 months with the possibility of paid extension. The second internship (30 ECTS) will take place in M2S2 and will last at least 5 months.
The objective of the internships is to bring students closer to applied and fundamental research in the field of the physics of living matter and biological systems (from the molecule to the organisms and possibly also populations of organisms). This experience will be the springboard for students after the master, whether they decide to go into public or private research. Moreover, these internships represent an excellent opportunity to learn and deepen directly a certain number of experimental and theoretical techniques (physics and biology) approached in the courses.
Students will have to be proactive in their search for internships, but will benefit from an interdisciplinary teaching team and a network of well-established research institutions in the Montpellier area. Internships will take place in research laboratories, supervised by teacher-researchers and researchers from the host research teams. Particularly talented students may also aspire to internships in companies or abroad.
You will find below a list of the main research laboratories that have hosted our students in the past (non-exhaustive list):
- Charles Coulomb Laboratory (L2C)
- Center for Structural Biochemistry (CBS)
- European Membrane Institute (EMI)
- Montpellier Cell Biology Research Center (CRBM)
- Physico-Chemistry Curie, Institut Curie, Paris
- Interdisciplinary Physics Laboratory (LiPhy), Grenoble
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
Program
The Master is organized in four semesters, each of which constitutes a progressive specialization. Each semester has 30 ECTS and must be validated independently (there is no inter-semester compensation). To validate each year, the two semesters must be validated separately and to obtain the diploma, the two years must be validated.
The first year presents a strong mutualization with the other courses of the Master of Physics, in particular with the SoftMat course. It specializes in the second semester, and especially in the third semester. The 4th semester is dedicated to the long internship at the end of the program.
Select a program
M1 - Physics Engineering of Living Matter (PhIMV)
Hydrodynamics
4 credits33hEnglish M1 PFA
2 credits21hAtoms, Molecules and Radiation
5 credits42hExperimental physics
5 credits42hCondensed matter physics 1
5 credits42hBiological physics
4 credits33hModeling and Simulation in Physics
5 credits42h
Statistical physics
6 credits49,5hM1 PhIMV internship
10 creditsMicroscopies and spectroscopies for biology
Surfaces, Interfaces, Colloids
5 credits42hData acquisition and processing 1
3 credits24hSensors and Image Processing
3 credits42h
M2 - Physics of Living Matter Engineering (PhIMV)
Structural Biochemistry
2 creditsBiomimetism
3 credits18hPhysical modeling of living systems
6 credits36hPolymer Physics
4 credits24hEnglish M2 PFA
2 credits21hKnowledge of the company
2 credits16hPhysical Biology
Complex fluids and active matter
6 credits36h
Internship M2 PhIMV
30 credits
Admission
How to register
Applications are made on the following platforms:
French & European students:
- For the M1, follow the procedure " My Master " from the website : https://www.monmaster.gouv.fr/
- For M2, students must submit their application via the e-candidat application: https: //candidature.umontpellier.fr/candidature
International students from outside the EU: for the M1, follow the "Studies in France" procedure: https: //pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/etudesenfrance/dyn/public/authentification/login.html
Target audience
Training open to bacs +3: Physics, Chemistry-Physics.
Necessary pre-requisites
The PhIMV program is a master's degree in fundamental and applied physics. The prerequisites are therefore those of a bachelor's degree in physics (or chemistry-physics) such as that delivered in French universities: solid knowledge of mechanics, thermodynamics, and electrical phenomena.
A mastery of mathematics at the calculus level (integral, differential, vector, matrices, etc.) is imperative.
No prior knowledge of biological systems is necessary. The basics of cell biology will be provided during the first semester of M1.
Recommended prerequisites
- Mathematical methods for physics
- Statistical physics
- Basics of the physics of the condensed state of matter
- Simulation and numerical calculation
And then
Further studies
The training aims at opportunities in
- Basic research: research laboratories in physics, biology, biophysics, biochemistry, biotechnologies, engineering schools, bio-inspired sciences;
- the diagnostic and biomedical industry, imaging and high-tech platforms;
- innovative biotechnologies: bio-materials, new diagnostics, data analysis, personalized medicine.
Continuing your studies abroad
In the past, some students, after successfully completing our master's program, have gone on to complete a doctorate at research institutions abroad. For example, EPFL (Switzerland) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA), to name a few.
In addition, we also benefit from the IPOLS (International Physics of Living Systems) Network, which supports the mobility of researchers and students whose research focuses on the physics of living matter.
Bridges and reorientation
Other courses of the Master Fundamental Physics and Applications, Teaching Masters.
Professional integration
In total, more than 60% of the students had a doctoral thesis (in France or abroad) 95% had their first job within 1 year after the master.