Clément Moreau

Featured

I am the principal investigator of the ANR JCJC BICYCLE (Bio-inspired modelling and limit cycle controllability for locomotion of elongated robots) project, which will start in March 2027.

I am organising regular seminars for the "Robotique et Vivant" group. Please contact me if you are interested in attending or participating.

I strongly advocate for a rigorous practice of scientific integrity. I support the principles of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) for research assessment based on the intrinsic value of research, and the Hong Kong Principles for Assessing Researchers for the promotion of responsible, transparent and reproducible research practices.

I support the visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ+ researchers in science. On that topic, I recommend the following initiatives: 500 Queer Scientists, Pride in STEM.

No hiring offers are up at the moment, but feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss opportunities to work in my group or in our lab (masters projects, PhDs, postdocs or faculty).

Research Interests

My research deals with mathematical control theory and optimization, and various applications in the fields of robophysics and biofluid mechanics, especially micro-swimming -- the motion of micro-organisms and micro-robots in a fluid.

Controllability, systems control

I am interested in control of nonlinear systems. In particular, I have worked on local controllability conditions for nonlinear control-affine systems in finite dimension, which usually involves to look at underlying Lie algebra structures. For both finite and infinite dimensional systems, I also take interest in the state-constrained controllability and sliding mode control.

Micro-swimming and control theory

I study the motion of swimming micro-organisms through modelling, controllability analysis and numerical simulations. I use the tools of control theory on various models to better understand, predict or influence related phenomena. In particular, I have worked on models of magnetically controlled elastic robots, and on control of particles with external fluid interactions.

Bio-inspired robotic locomotion of slender bodies

I develop models and numerical simulations to study the motion and dynamics of slender, flexible continuous structures in complex media (fluids, non-Newtonian fluids, granular media). One of my goals is to cast this class of complex dynamics as (infinite-dimensional) control systems.

Modelling and optimisation for fluid dynamics

I am broadly interested in fluid mechanics at low Reynolds number and fluid-structure interactions. I use various mathematical tools such as functional analysis, shape optimisation and multiscale analysis to investigate questions related to fluid dynamics, mostly at Stokes regime, with applications to micro-swimming, biofluids and robotics.

Group members

Current

Past

Publications

Preprints

• C. Moreau, Y. Nishigami, J. Herault, K. Ishimoto, Lacrymaria-like dynamics: compression and length change in active slender bodies.
• E. Thys, F. Boyer, Y. Chitour, P. Kokkonen, V. Lebastard, S. Marx, C. Moreau, Bio-inspired control model for snake locomotion based on Cosserat beam theory.
  arXiv
• C. Moreau, The Stokes resistance of an arbitrary particle: a classification of hydrodynamic symmetries.
  arXiv
• C. Moreau, L. Giraldi, H. Gadêlha, The hydrodynamic Euler-elastica: shape transitions in the dynamical buckling of elastic filaments in Stokes flow.
  arXiv
• Y. Lesport, S. Marx, C. Moreau, F. Plestan, Implicit Euler method for a transport equation stabilized with a sliding mode control.

2026

• B. J. Walker, C. Moreau, T. L. Robinson, Z. J. Xu, D. I. Goldman, E. A. Gaffney, K. Y. Wan, Tunable asymmetric swimming in biflagellate microswimmers, Journal of the Royal Society Interface 23, no. 241.
  DOI arXiv

2025

• F. Alouges, A. Lefebvre-Lepot, J. Levillain, C. Moreau, The N-link model for slender rods in a viscous fluid: well-posedness and convergence to classical elastohydrodynamics equations, Nonlinearity 38, no. 12.
  DOI arXiv
• C. Moreau, K. Ishimoto, Y. Privat, Shapes optimising grand resistance tensor entries for a rigid body in a Stokes flow, Journal of Applied and Numerical Optimization 7, no. 3.
  DOI arXiv
• K. Ishimoto, J. Herault, C. Moreau, Bending-compression coupling in extensible slender microswimmers, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 1020, no. A1.
  DOI arXiv
• K. Ishimoto, C. Moreau, J. Herault, Robust undulatory locomotion through neuromechanical adjustments in a dissipative medium, Journal of the Royal Society Interface 22, no. 222.
  DOI

2024

• C. Moreau, B. J. Walker, R. N. Poon, D. Soto, D. I. Goldman, E. A. Gaffney, K. Y. Wan, Minimal design of a synthetic cilium, Physical Review Research 6, no. 4.
  DOI
• M. P. Dalwadi, C. Moreau, E. A. Gaffney, B. Walker, K. Ishimoto, Generalised Jeffery's equations for rapidly spinning particles. Part II: Helicoidal objects with chirality, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 979, no. A2.
  DOI arXiv
• M. P. Dalwadi, C. Moreau, E. A. Gaffney, K. Ishimoto, B. Walker, Generalised Jeffery's equations for rapidly spinning particles. Part I: Spheroids, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 979, no. A1.
  DOI arXiv
• L. Giraldi, P. Lissy, C. Moreau, J.-B. Pomet, A necessary condition for local controllability of systems with two scalar controls, ESAIM:COCV 30, no. 4.
  DOI hal

2023

• K. Ishimoto, C. Moreau, K. Yasuda, Odd elastohydrodynamics: non-reciprocal living material in a viscous fluid, Physical Review X Life 1, no.2, Oct 2023.
  DOI
• C. Moreau, Controllability and optimal control of microswimmers: theory and applications, Journal of the Physical Society of Japan 92, no 121005, Oct 2023.
  DOI

2022

• B. J. Walker, K. Ishimoto, C. Moreau, E. A. Gaffney, M. P. Dalwadi, Emergent rheotaxis of shape-changing swimmers in Poiseuille flow, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 944, R2.
  DOI
• K. Ishimoto, C. Moreau, K. Yasuda, Self-organized swimming with odd elasticity, Physical Review E 105, no. 064603.
  DOI
• B. J. Walker, K. Ishimoto, E. A. Gaffney, C. Moreau, The control of particles in the Stokes limit, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 942, A1.
  DOI
• E. A. Gaffney, M. P. Dalwadi, C. Moreau, K. Ishimoto, B. J. Walker, Canonical orbits for planar microswimmers in shear flow, Physical Review Fluids 7, no. L022101.
  arxiv
• B. J. Walker, K. Ishimoto, E. A. Gaffney, C. Moreau, M. P. Dalwadi, The effects of rapid yawing on simple swimmer models and planar Jeffery orbits, Physical Review Fluids 7, no. 023101.
  arxiv

2021

• C. Moreau, K. Ishimoto, Driving a microswimmer with wall-induced flow, Micromachines 12, no. 9:1025, 2021.
  DOI.
• C. Moreau, K. Ishimoto, E. A. Gaffney, B. J. Walker, Control and controllability of microswimmers by a shearing flow, Royal Society Open Science, 8:211141, 2021.
  DOI
• P. Lissy, C. Moreau, State-constrained controllability of linear reaction-diffusion systems, ESAIM:COCV 27, pp. 70-91, 2021.
  DOI

2018-2020

• C. Moreau, Local controllability of a magnetized Purcell's swimmer, IEEE Control Systems Letters 3, pp. 637-642, 2019.
  DOI hal
• C. Moreau, L. Giraldi, H. Gadêlha, The asymptotic coarse-graining formulation of slender-rods, bio-filaments and flagella. J. R. Soc. Interface 15: 20180235, 2018.
  DOI arxiv
• L. Giraldi, P. Lissy, C. Moreau and J.-B. Pomet, Addendum to ''Local Controllability of the Two-Link Magneto-Elastic Micro-Swimmer'', IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 63, 2303-2305, 2018.
  DOI arxiv

PhD

My PhD thesis, entitled, Controllability in finite and infinite dimension and applications to life-inspired nonlinear systems , is available here. I was supervised by: Laetitia Giraldi, Pierre Lissy, and Jean-Baptiste Pomet.

Communications

Upcoming

• June 7-11, INdAM-RISM conference Dynamics and Geometry of Mechanical Systems (DYGEMS), Varese, Italy
• Feb 17, Centre for Systems, Dynamics and Control (CSDC) seminar, Exeter, UK
• Dec 4, Imperial College Fluid Dynamics seminar, London, UK
• Nov 18-19, Journées AS1-AS4 du PEPR O2R, Lille, France

Past

2026

• Oct 26-28, 2nd Symposium on Slender-body Locomotion, Nantes, France
• Oct 6, Séminaire du département AS2M du FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France
• Sep 28-Oct 2, CISM Advanced Course on Computational and Geometric Mechanics of Discrete and Continuum Systems, Udine, Italy
• Sep 22, Séminaire de mathématiques appliquées du LMJL, Nantes, France
• Jul 6-10, MicroSwim 2026, Brest, France
• Jun 10-12, ModConFlex Conference, Wuppertal, Germany
• May 26, Living Matter Physics seminar, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany
• May 10-12, Colloque Modélisation et Robotique Souple, Paris, France
• Apr 29, GDR GDM Workshop on slender structures, Nantes, France
• Apr 6-11, Robosoft 2026, Kanazawa, Japan
• Mar 3, Webinaire du PEPR O2R (online)

2025

• Dec 16, Groupe de travail EDP et Calcul Scientifique du LMRS, Rouen, France
• Dec 1, Journées de l'AS4 du PEPR 02R, Nantes, France
• Nov 4, Séminaire d'automatique du L2S, Orsay, France
• Oct 28-31, PICOF 2025, Hammamet, Tunisia
• Oct 7, Groupe de travail EDP-Calcul scientifique, du LMRS, Rouen, France
• September 21-26, Oxford-Japan Symposium on Cell Behaviors in Simple to Complex Environments, Oxford, UK
• June 23-26, BMC-BAMC, Exeter, UK
• June 2-6, Congrès SMAI, Carcans, France
• March 16-21, APS Global Summit, Anaheim, USA
• Feb 24-25, ANR COSSEROOTS seminar, Lille, France

2024

• Oct 22-23, Workshop on bio- and bio-inspired locomotion of slender bodies across scales and fields, Nantes, France
• Oct 3-4, ReV Workshop, Le Croisic, France
• Sep 27, Computational Soft Matter Seminar, The University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Sep 18-19, Workshop "Control, modelling and optimisation for physics", Nice, France
• Aug 25-31, ICTAM Congress, Daegu, South Korea
• Jun 25-28, Journées Math Bio Santé, Nantes, France
• May 27-31, Congrès d'Analyse Numérique, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, France
• May 17-18, IUTAM Symposium on Soft Robotics, Tokyo, Japan
• May 13, RIMS Fluid Dynamics Seminar, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
• Apr 9-11, British Applied Math Colloquium, Newcastle, UK
• Feb 07, Snake locomotion workshop, MNHN, Paris, France
• Jan 31, Biological Filaments Workshop, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
• Jan 25, ReV (Bio-inspired robotics) team seminar, LS2N, Nantes, France

2023

• Nov 20, Shape seminar, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
• Nov 08, Takeuchi Lab seminar, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
• Nov 06, Seminar of the Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
• Oct 10, Seirin Group seminar, ASHBi, Kyoto University, Japan
• Aug 20-25, Internatinal Congress of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM 2023), Tokyo, Japan (organiser of two minisymposia: Optimal control: methods and applications and Low-Reynolds number swimming: modelling, analysis and applications)
• Jul 03-07, Jacques-Louis Lions French-Spanish Summer School, Nice, France(poster presentation)
• Jun 26-30, Euromech Colloquium, Nice, France
• Jun 20-23, Workshop de l'ANR COSSEROOTS, La Londe-les-Maures, France
• May 11, Kobayashi Group seminar, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
• Jan 13, Workshop "New Perspectives on Active Matter", Warwick University
• Jan 12, Physics Theory Group Seminar, Warwick University

2022

• Nov 22, Seminar of the Department of Mathematics, Politecnico di Torino
• Nov 17, Seminar of the CODEX team, LS2N, Nantes
• Nov 01, Seirin Group seminar, ASHBi, Kyoto University, Japan
• Sep 8-10, JSIAM annual meeting 2022, Hokkaido University, Sapporo
• Jul 11-14, World Congress of Biomechanics, Taipei, Taiwan (online participation)
• Jun 23, Groupe de travail Contrôle de l'IECL, Nancy
• Jun 13-17, CANUM, Evian-les-Bains, France
• Jun 06-09, ECCOMAS Congress 2022, Oslo, Norway
• Mar 31, Odd viscoelasticity Workshop, Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Mar 22, RIMS Fluid Dynamics Group seminar, Kyoto University
• Feb 03, RIMS Fluid Dynamics Group seminar, Kyoto University, Japan
• Jan 28-29, Active Matter Workshop 2022, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan

2021

• Dec 21, Applied Maths Seminar, Kyoto University
• Dec 03, Séminaire du CRAN, Nancy (online)
• Nov 27, RIMS Fluid Dynamics Group seminar, Kyoto University
• Sep 07, Séminaire Equations aux Dérivées Partielles de l'IRMA, Strasbourg
• Jun 21-24, Biofluids Symposium, Kyoto University
• Mar 02, Séminaire Analyse, Phénomènes Stochastiques et Applications du LMBA (online)
• Feb 22, Seminar of the Yamamoto Group (Theoretical Modeling of Soft Matter and Living Systems), Transport Phenomena Lab., Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University
• Feb 16, Séminaire de l'équipe Analyse Appliquée de l'I2M (online)
• Jan 22-23, Active Matter Workshop 2021 (online)

2020

• Dec 3-4, State-constrained controllability of linear reaction-diffusion systems, Congrès d'Analyse Numérique (CAN-J) 2020 (online)
• Jul 12-17, Local controllability of magnetized Purcell's swimmers, 21st IFAC World Congress (online)
• May 21, Controllability in finite and infinite dimension of life-inspired nonlinear systems, GTT du LJLL, Paris, France
• Feb 3-5, Local controllability of magnetized Purcell's swimmers (poster presentation), Research Workshop of the Israel Science Foundation on Micro-Swimmers and Soft Robotics, Haifa, Israel

2019

• Dec 11-13, Local controllability of a magnetized Purcell's swimmer, 58th Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), Nice, France
• Jul 8-12, Necessary Condition for Local Controllability, 2019 Equadiff Conference, Leiden, Netherlands
• May 20-24, Une condition nécessaire de contrôlabilité locale pour une classe particulière de systèmes à deux contrôles, Colloque Inter'Actions, Bordeaux, France
• May 13-17, Une condition nécessaire de contrôlabilité locale pour une classe particulière de systèmes à deux contrôles, Congrès SMAI, Guidel, France

2018

• Dec 6-8, Necessary Condition for Local Controllability, 13th International Young Researchers Workshop on Geometry, Mechanics and Control, Coimbra, Portugal
• May 28 - June 01, Hydrodynamics of elastic micro-filaments: model comparison and applications (poster presentation), Congrès National d'Analyse Numérique (CANUM), Cap d'Agde, France
• Apr 12, Contrôlabilité d'un micro-nageur magnétique à deux segments, Journée des thèses de l'équipe EDPAN, LJAD, Nice, France
• Jan 22-24, Controllability of a Magneto-Elastic Micro-Swimmer, 12th International Young Researchers Workshop on Geometry, Mechanics and Control, Padova, Italy

2017

• Nov 13-14, Controllability of a Magneto-Elastic Micro-Swimmer, PGMO Days 2017, EDF Lab Paris-Saclay, France

2022-2025

• Invited lecturer (4h) on "Mathematical approaches to micro-swimming" for the Mathematics module of the Cell Physics Master "Analyse 3" at Université de Strasbourg.

Below is the teaching I did while I was a PhD student.

2019-2020

• TD "Analyse 3" at Université Paris-Dauphine (2nd-year Mathematics and Economics uncergrad). Teacher: Jacques Féjoz
• Mini-course: "An easy-to-use fluid-structure simulator for active/passive rods/filaments" for graduate students of the Department of Engineering Mathematics at University of Bristol

2018-2019

• TD "Statistiques" at ISEM Nice (1st-year Economics undergrad).
• TD "Statistiques descriptives" at Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis (2nd-year Mathematics and Computer Science undergrad). Teacher: Roland Masson

2017-2018

• TD "Mathématiques 2" at ISEM Nice (1st-year Economics undergrad). Teacher: Claire Chavaudret