Bonjour.

Welcome to Pierre Jouvelot's homepage (last revision September 25, 2020).

I’m Senior Research Scientist, working at the
.... Computer Science Research Center (CRI) of
.... MINES ParisTech (formerly, Ecole des mines de Paris), part of
.... PSL University.

Here is my resume (pdf: English, French; html: English, French).

1. Research

Possible PhD thesis, postdoc and Master internship research openings can be found here. If you have research ideas that you think either fit my profile or are so great they need to be pursued anyhow, feel free to get in touch with me.

My current research work agenda focuses on programming languages and new multimedia technologies for health, music...and more!

Regarding languages in computer science, my interests are mostly the following.

• Domain-Specific Languages (DSL).
  
  I was the project leader for the ANR FEEVER project, which strives to build onto the strengths of the Faust functional audio programming language to design an ubiquituous audio programming environment. We focus at CRI on the use of theoretical models and tools (in particular Coq) for the definition and optimization of Faust programs and its development platform.  Previously, I was part of the ANR ASTREE project that used Faust to help produce and preserve contemporary music pieces.
  
  
• Programming languages theory.
  
  I've been involved for years on issues related in particular to static analysis, parallel optimizations, type and effect systems, non-standard denotational semantics, SSA form, dependent typing.... I was part of the LOMAPS (type and effect systems) and PIPS (imperative program static analysis) projects.
  
  

Moving into more applied topics, which blend new computer-related technologies with key societal issues such as physics, health, music, law,..., I work in the following areas.

• Physics.
  
  With Blerina Gkotse and Federico Ravotti (PhD thesis co-advisor) at CERN, we are looking at using ontology-based programming techniques to improve the UI generation process for the control and management of irradiation facilities. Our test case is the IRRAD Data Manager, part of the CERN PS Proton Synchrotron infrastructure.
  
  With Arthur Aubertin and Julien de Rosny (PhD thesis co-advisor, at ESPCI Paris), we study how low-frequency ultrasounds can be used for data communication; stimshop is the industrial partner for this research.
  
  
• Conversational Agents.
  
  We study the use of avatars as artificial assistants for demented patients, with Pierre Wargnier and Bruno Sguerra at CRI and Samuel Benveniste at CEN STIMCO (Broca hospital). We are developing the LOUISE platform to improve access to assistive technologies for demented or Alzheimer patients.
  
  
• Music therapy.
  
  With Luc Perera and Patrick Renaud (PhD thesis co-advisor) at EnsAD, we are currently looking at the possible impact of Indian music on the elderly. This is a follow-up to the MINWii and MAWii projects (pronounce "Min-We" and "Ma-We") intended to study the possible applications in active Music Therapy of video games technology, in particular the Wiimote 3D control interface developed by Nintendo. Target populations are patients suffering from behavior troubles, such as ADHD or Alzheimer. Check Samuel Benveniste's homepage for more information, or this video presentation (in French, from the 19th Music Therapy Conference, March 2009, Paris). The MINWii project (renamed MINDs) got the 2011 Bourse Charles Foix prize.
  
  
• Music education.
  
  Pads'n'Swing was a research project that intended to study how video games can be used in music education; see Guillaume Denis's homepage for more information. A short TV interview on i>TELE (Canal+ news channel) about this topic was shot during the La Villette Numérique 2006 exhibit (you will need a current Quicktime plug-in to see the video; you can download it for free from Apple).
  
  Arezzo is a distance music learning environment that can help you to master the basics of classical harmony, counterpoint and melody (check out its short manual). It was developed as open-source software at MINES ParisTech, in collaboration with Schola Cantorum and ClickNPlayMusic. All you need to do to try it is to get in touch with me, and I'll provide you with a stand-alone version of this software (the communication features of Arezzo, which existed in the old applet version, are not all available in this release). All you need to run it is to have the Java JDK installed (check Oracle's Java web site). There is also an introduction paper (in French) on this project you might want to look at.


• Law.
  
  I'm the lead project manager for the legivoc project.  legivoc is a terminology database designed to facilitate the Member States' understanding of European Union (EU) laws by providing an interoperable terminology system, based on the SKOS and SPARQL semantic Web technologies.
  

2. Teaching

My teaching activities at MINES ParisTech and HEC Business School, as part of the HEC/MINES ParisTech joint MSIT M.S. "Mastère spécialisé" on IT Management, include :

• Theoretical Computer Science (mathematical limits, computational models, programming languages, complexities, advanced issues): French course lecture notes (see "informatique fondamentale");
• Computer Music (acoustics, synthesis techniques, effects, MIDI): I'm coauthor of the "Acoustique, Informatique, MusiquE" textbook published at Presses des mines (check out the presentation and video interview and slides, all in French);
  
• Compression Techniques (information theory, text, sound, image, video): French slides in PDF format;
• International visits: I organize annual weekly tours of companies in foreign countries for our students. We successively focused on e-commerce (California, 2001), networking (Canada, 2002), finance (New-York, 2003 [lunch photo]), control systems (Sweden, 2004 [newspaper article], [group photo]), outsourcing (China, 2005 [Lafarge photo] and 2011 [Shanda Entertainment photo]; India, 2006 and 2007), electronics (Japan, 2008: [Panasonic group photo], consumer electronics (South Korea, 2009), Silicon Valley (California, 2010 [Google group photo]), outsourcing (Morocco, 2012), design (Belgium, 2015), video games (Canadaa, 2016), startups (Germany, 2017) .
  

3. Business

On the business side, Click'N'PlayMusic is a company I co-founded with Eric Boell. We provide music educational content, using a variety of formats such as CD-rom, DVD-rom, streaming and books. Our products have been rated as best in their class, and are distributed in retail stores such as Fnac.

4. Leisure

On the fun side, to know more about my areas of interest:

• See what the airplane I often fly, a Grumman Tiger, looks like (check this picture or this one).  For more information on
  Grumann aircraft, please check the Grumman-Gang or the American Yankee Association. The Tiger AG-5B plane I used to own was tested in the November 2008 issue of Info-pilote, the monthly magazine edited by the French Federation of Aviation (FFA). You're welcome to download the whole article (in PDF) here, or by clicking on the cover image.
  
  I also fly out of the Moret-Episy airfield, near Fontainebleau, since I'm a member of the local ACVL airclub; there I fly a French-manufactured Robin DR-400 plane. If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Fontainebleau (see this great panoramic view for a general outlook), please feel free to drop by, and I'll show you the surroundings: the castles in Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-vicomte, from which Versailles is inspired, small towns such as Provins or Disneyland and its parking. And here is what used to be my home base, right before landing (yes, the field is in the upper left corner of the picture); please take look at a video takeoff or landing. I hope you enjoyed the tour (pictures and movies, courtesy of Benoît Pin and Maciej Freudenheim).
  
• Listen to some of my own musical compositions, coming direct from my MIDI system;
• Read great literary excerpts I selected from some of my favorite authors.

I'm also trying to help Cambodia, my wife's native country. Please see if you want to support the building of a new hospital in the Prey Veng county (this link is in English and French). This is a completely private endeavour.

5. Contact

If you want to chat, feel free to send me E-mail (pierre.jouvelot@mines-paristech.fr) or call me in France (+33 1 6469 4846).

Pierre Jouvelot

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Je veux apprendre toujours davantage à considérer comme la beauté ce qu'il y a de nécessaire dans les choses.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Le gai savoir

Si [l'intelligence] n'a dans la hiérarchie des vertus que la seconde place, il n'y a qu'elle qui soit capable de proclamer que l'instinct doit occuper la première.

Marcel Proust, Contre Sainte-Beuve

L'art est plus puissant que la connaissance [de la vérité], car c'est lui qui veut la vie, tandis que le but ultime qu'atteint la connaissance n'est autre que ... l'anéantissement.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Cinq préfaces à cinq livres qui n'ont pas été écrits

De la musique avant toute chose ...

Paul Verlaine, Art poétique