Team members

  • Beatrice Bisighini is currently a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on the mechanical characterization of perineal tissue within the Pelvitrack project, in a joint position between Mines Saint-Étienne and the Mechanics and Civil Engineering Laboratory (LMGC) from Université de Montpellier. She completed her PhD in Mechanical Engineering in February 2024 at Mines Saint-Étienne as part of the MSCA ITN Meditate project, where she developed advanced computational tools to enhance the safety and effectiveness of endovascular treatments for brain aneurysms. Her work integrated finite element simulations with reduced-order modeling techniques, including the development of EndoBeams.jl, a validated open-source software for stent deployment simulations, and a machine learning-based decision support system for real-time treatment planning. In her first postdoctoral position, she collaborated with the LaCàN laboratory at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, applying machine learning and reduced-order modeling to biomechanical simulations for faster and more accurate clinical applications.

  • Nicolas Curt is an engineer at IMT Mines Saint-Étienne, affiliated with the SAINBIOSE Laboratory. He has worked on applied tribology, particularly focusing on the wear of hip prostheses. Since 2013, he has specialized in the design and development of experimental devices for research.
    The range of devices he has developed is remarkably broad from a system designed to characterize the mechanical properties of the human calf, to a mask breathability testing device developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    He joined the PELVITRAC project to contribute his expertise in modeling and CAD (Computer-Aided Design).

  • Stéphane Avril received his PhD in mechanical and civil engineering in 2002 at Mines Saint-Etienne (France). After positions at Arts et Métiers ParisTech (France) and Loughborough University (UK), he returned to his alma mater in 2008. Stéphane Avril was a visiting professor at Yale University (USA) 6 times between 2014 and 2019, guest professor at TU Wien (Austria) between 2020 and 2022 and guest professor at TU Graz (Austria) between 2021 and 2022.

    Stéphane Avril is now a “Professeur de classe exceptionnelle” at Mines Saint-Etienne, Institut Mines Telecom in France. He is now the director of SAINBIOSE (INSERM endorsed laboratory with 150+ researchers). Within SAINBIOSE he leads a team working on cardiovascular dysfuntion.

    Stéphane has received many awards and distinctions including an ERC (European Research Council) consolidator grant in 2015, an ERC proof of concept grant in 2021 and an ERC Advanced grant in 2024.

    Most of Stéphane’s research is aimed at improving the treatment of cardiovascular diseases by assisting physicians and surgeons with biomechanical numerical simulations.

    In 2017, Stéphane co-founded Predisurge, a spin-off company of IMT at Mines Saint-Etienne. PrediSurge offers innovative software solutions for patient-specific numerical simulation of surgical procedures. In 2024, Stéphane co-founded KaomX, another spin-off company of IMT at Mines Saint-Etienne. KaomX develops a novel imaging device for elasticity measurements in cell mechanobiology.

  • Baptiste Pierrat graduated as a PhD in 2013 in the field of orthotic biomechanics. Subsequently, he went abroad for 2 years as a post-dosctoral fellow in University College Dublin, Ireland, to study the mechanical behaviour of brain tissue.
    Since 2016, he works as a researcher in the Center for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering in Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, France, and is affiliated with the SAINBIOSE lab (INSERM U1059). His research topics involve mechanical characterization of soft biological tissues and textiles, and finite element modelling with a focus on rupture. Applications include improving diagnosis for aortic dissection, hernia repair, and prevention of perineal tears within the PELVITRACK project. He works in close collaboration with industrial partners and physicians.