Franco-American International Associated Laboratory (LIA) "Materials and Optics" (MATEO) and the Partner University Fund (PUF)

The LIA MATEO "Materials and Optics" is a Franco-American International Associated Laboratory funded by the CNRS. Created on 1^er January 2009, this LIA brings together, on the French side, the Glass and Ceramics research team of UMR 6226 (Rennes 1-CNRS) Chemical Sciences of Rennes, members of the Acoustics Axis (Acoustics and AIMAN group) of the Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN), and the University of Arizona in Tucson, on the American side. Its joint research project focuses on advanced materials for energy, optics and acoustics. The French side is led by Jean-Luc Adam, deputy director of the UMR Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, and the American side is led by Pierre Lucas, associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona. IEMN is represented on the LIA Steering Committee by Jérôme Vasseur, member of the IEMN Acoustics group. The joint research activities of the IEMN and the University of Arizona carried out within the LIA are mainly focused on phononic crystals.

Since January 1^er, 2012, the LIA's research activities benefit, for a period of 3 years, from the support of the PUF "Partner University Fund" which aims to promote scientific exchanges between French and American researchers as well as the incoming and outgoing mobility of French and American students. The PUF also aims to develop joint training (joint masters, thesis co-tutelle ...) between French doctoral schools and American Graduate schools. It is in this context that a thesis on magnetoelastic nonlinear phononic crystals (co-direction J. Vasseur and O. Bou-Matar (IEMN), P. Deymier (U. of Arizona)) started in October 2011.

In addition, this close and fruitful scientific collaboration between French and American teams benefits from the label of excellence for Franco-American university cooperation Univ-Link, awarded for the first time in 2011, by the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research.