Aida Todri-Sanial: "An exceptional opportunity to be heard by the French and British governments"

"People listen to us, we see we can have an impact." Aida Todri-Sanial, a CNRS researcher at the Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics and Microelectronics of Montpellier (LIRMM - CNRS/University of Montpellier) is clearly enthusiastic about having joined the Franco-British Council's Young Leaders programme in the summer of 2018. This organisation's mission is to promote the dialogue between France and the UK to enhance cooperation in the future. The Franco-British Council was set up in 1972 when the United Kingdom joined the European Community in a context of increasing globalisation. Since then, it has dedicated itself to promoting better understanding between the two countries and developing joint actions. To do so it works on bringing together personalities from the cultural, political, economic, defence and education spheres along with representatives of scientific communities.

The diversity of profiles of the people involved is one of the main points Aida Todri-Sanial chose to stress in her Young Leaders programme: "The rich diversity of profiles makes this an exceptional year's group for the programme. We are very active and connected - we exchange every day". There are now 57 Young Leaders (25 from the 2018 group and 32 from the 2017 group) who share the same ambition - to work together to help shape the future of Franco-British relations. Aida Todri-Sanial is one of three representatives from the scientific community in the 2018 group.

She contributes her expertise in nanoelectronics which is a rapidly evolving scientific field given that electronic devices are now omnipresent in our lives. The Internet of Things (IoT) has changed the way we work, play and communicate. The recent discovery of graphene has revolutionised nanoelectronics and is finding applications in fields like biomedicine, automotive, energy or agriculture. However, these developments mean we also need to take a step back to reflect. "The next 20 years in nanoelectronics will be decisive for the choices we make to protect our planet's resources," explains the researcher. "But beyond this, our thoughts and ideas are more about the impact of science on our society than about science as such. We hope to bring together people to work on these important issues, key experts who can discuss the challenges involved. Numerous social and scientific debates are already starting up such as discussion of the role of artificial intelligence. As a scientist and citizen, it's my responsibility to be proactive in discussions like these." Taking part in the Franco-British Council thus enables the researcher to be part of a wider and more diverse community to evaluate and reflect on the relationship between technology, economics and geopolitics.

But why did she choose this working group to get involved in this thought process? "During the 2016-2017 academic year, I was a visiting researcher at the Cambridge Graphene Centre at Cambridge University," says Aida Todri-Sanial. "I was working with other researchers on graphene-based nanoelectronics and biosensing applications. This was a key experience for me in thinking about how to transfer scientific research results to industrial manufacturing. Nanomaterials and nanoelectronics play an important role in our industry, economy and energy consumption, so clearly raising awareness of their development seemed essential to me."

Being selected as a member of the Franco-British Young Leaders programme has enabled her to become fully involved in constructive exchanges between the two countries. "Strengthening the ties between France and the United Kingdom is even more important now in the context of Brexit," she points out. "I believe many real opportunities exist to reorganise the relationship between France and Britain into meaningful collaborative projects since both countries are faced with similar challenges linked to rapid technology changes." At the 2018 group meeting in June, participants met Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. "He told us he had been involved in the same programme with the United States in 2012," the researcher says. "It brought him a lot." The governments of both countries regularly call on the Young Leaders group, particularly through study days. "We will get the opportunity to have a real impact on both governments," enthuses Aida Todri-Sanial. "We have an important role to play. For scientific colleagues, applying to be part of the 2019 group is a real opportunity. If any researchers want to contact me for feedback on my experience, please don't hesitate."