SWOT satellite: a breakthrough transforming our understanding of the ocean
9 April 2026
The ocean is full of phenomena invisible to the naked eye, yet essential to the balance of our planet. Among them, internal solitary waves propagate along the interfaces between different water layers and play a key role in ocean circulation and energy transport. Until recently, these waves were difficult to observe despite their importance. Thanks to the SWOT satellite, they can now be studied with unprecedented precision. The work carried out by the Climate, Environment, Couplings and Uncertainties (CECI – CNRS/IRD/CERFACS) team provides new insights. For the first time, scientists have been able to directly observe interactions between internal solitary waves and ocean eddies, revealing dynamics that were previously poorly understood. 🎥 Chloé Goret, CNRS research engineer at CECI-CERFACS, explains these findings and their significance in the CNRS Occitanie Ouest series “La Science Face Cam”: Publication reference: Goret, C., Koch-Larrouy, A., Kouogang, F., de Macedo, C. R., M’Hamdi, A., Magalhães, J. M., da Silva, J. C. B., Tchilibou, M., Artana, C., Dadou, I., Delepoulle, A., Barbot, S., Ballarotta, M., Carrère, L., and Costa da Silva, A.: Internal solitary waves refraction and diffraction from interaction with eddies off the Amazon Shelf from SWOT, Ocean Sci., 22, 679–698, 2026
CERFACS wins the Allons-Y A Vélo winter challenge
8 April 2026
After winning the cycling mileage challenge of the Allons-Y A Vélo (AYAV) initiative last spring, CERFACS now stands atop the podium in the AYAV Winter 2026 “modal share” challenge in its category for companies with 100–500 employees. These two top finishes cap off years of promoting cycling as a daily mode of transportation for commuting to work at CERFACS. The upward trend is very real: from 2020 to 2025, CERFACS has claimed third place six times in the AYAV corporate challenge in its category (winters of 2022, 2024, and 2025, and springs of 2021, 2022, and 2023). Allons-Y À Vélo is a campaign promoting cycling as a means of daily transportation organized by the association “2 Pieds 2 Roues” and “La Maison du Vélo de Toulouse.”
Entretien sur les perspectives des carburants d’aviation durables avec Thomas Lesaffre, ingénieur en calcul scientifique au Cerfacs
6 February 2026
Les SAF décollent : une avancée concrète pour réduire l’empreinte carbone de l’aviation Article publié le 05/02/2026 dans Ouest-France, par Maël BREHONNET
2025 Thesis Prize: Olivier Goux honoured by the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation
30 January 2026
On 21 January 2026, during the event ‘Doctor, tell me about your thesis in 5 minutes’, Olivier Goux received the 2025 Thesis Prize from the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation for the scientific excellence of his research and the application prospects of his thesis, supervised by Anthony Weaver (CERFACS) and co-supervised by Oliver Guillet (Météo-France). His thesis, entitled ‘Taking into account observation error correlations in variational assimilation of ocean data’, contributes to the modelling and assimilation of ocean data, with concrete implications for the improvement of forecasting systems. The award highlights Olivier's scientific rigour, potential operational impact and communication skills, perfectly illustrating the value of doctoral training at Cerfacs, combining scientific excellence with links to industrial and operational needs.
Version 6.0 of OASIS3-MCT coupler is now available!
30 December 2025
The latest version of the community coupler, OASIS3-MCT_6.0, was released at the end of December, just in time for Christmas! This new version includes in particular the YAC library for 2D interpolations on the sphere, support for dynamic fractional masks, a new ‘Cube’ partition type suitable for 3D couplings, as well as several bug fixes. The OASIS3-MCT_6.0 environment has also been improved: the compilation system has been revised, the CI/CD (continuous integration / continuous deployment) environment has been moved from Buildbot to GitLab, large NetCDF files have been removed from the Git repository and its history, and the OASIS3-MCT website has migrated from DKRZ to Cerfacs. Full details are available in the OASIS3-MCT_6.0 user guide and on its website.
Catherine Lambert wins the 2025 Georges Estibal Grand Prize
9 December 2025
The Association Les Amis de la Cité de l'Espace (AACE) has awarded the 2025 Georges Estibal Grand Prize to Catherine Lambert, President of CERFACS and Club Galaxie. This distinction recognizes her commitment to promoting scientific culture and developing the space sector. The official award ceremony was held on December 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the Cité de l'Espace. Through this award, the AACE reaffirms its mission: to actively contribute to the dissemination of scientific culture in the major fields of space, whether in technology, exploration of the universe, climate issues, geopolitics, or the links between science, art, and culture. Catherine Lambert embodies these values through her career and her ongoing commitment to scientific outreach, particularly through conferences and debates organized with the support of the Cité de l'espace. During the evening, Catherine Lambert shared the highlights of her career and offered her thoughts on the place of women in scientific careers, a central theme for the younger generations.
Festival des Étoiles et des Ailes : femmes dans l'aviation et le spatial, de l'histoire au futur
7 November 2025
On Sunday, November 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Festival des Étoiles et des Ailes will give a voice to the women who are making and will make aviation and space history. The round table discussion, entitled “From the first solo female aviator to the next French astronaut: the place of women in aeronautics and space,” promises to be a highlight of the festival. Among the speakers, Catherine Lambert, a recognized figure in the sector, will share her experience and discuss the journeys of pioneers, the challenges that still exist, and the future prospects for women in aeronautics and space. This round table discussion is intended to be interactive and inspiring: participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, exchange ideas with the speakers, and immerse themselves in the history and future prospects of these fascinating professions. It will be a moment of exchange and inspiration to celebrate those who, yesterday and today, are paving the way to the sky and the stars.
Interview de Catherine Lambert sur BFM Business
13 October 2025
#DECRYPTAGE – CERFACS In this edition of DECRYPTAGE, Aude Kersulec welcomes Catherine Lambert, President of Cerfacs, a research and development centre specialising in modelling, simulation and high-performance computing (HPC). Catherine Lambert discusses how Cerfacs is responding to major scientific and industrial challenges. Watch the interview with Catherine Lambert on the #DECRYPTAGE programme on BFM Business. Full interview available here
Catherine LAMBERT, President of Cerfacs, is Aude KERSULEC’s guest on the DECRYPTAGE program on BFM Business.
10 October 2025
The full interview will soon be available on our website and LinkedIn page. Catherine Lambert presents Cerfacs and its main challenges in the fields of aeronautics, space, energy, climate, and the environment. Emission DECRYPTAGE de BFM Business en partenariat avec Scribeo media
CERFACS won the Allons-Y A Vélo challenge
28 July 2025
And yes, we did it! CERFACS won the Allons-Y A Vélo challenge for kilometers cycled in the 100-500 employee category🍾🍾🍾 With 4,251 kilometers cycled, CERFACS climbed to the top of the podium among the 21 participating companies, but also across all categories (153 registered organizations), followed far behind by the University of Toulouse with 3,236 kilometers! In the Allons-Y A Vélo modal share challenge, CERFACS came in second place in its category with an average of 39% of cyclists over the two weeks, just behind OVHCLOUD TOULOUSE with 42%. And Météopole also came second in its category (more than 500 employees) with 35%, just behind its historic rival OMP with 38%. Well done to everyone, and above all, keep pedaling all year round, for fun, your health, and the planet! The Cerfacs cycling team, Thomas, Florent, Lydia, and Sophie
🔥 Forest fires: Mélanie Rochoux warns of the urgent need for a collective response
15 July 2025
A scientific voice at the heart of summer issues As summer temperatures reach critical levels in Occitanie, forest fires are back in the news. Researcher at Cerfacs and recognized specialist in environmental modeling, Mélanie Rochoux regularly appears in the media to decrypt fire dynamics. Interviewed in particular by AFP journalists and quoted in reports in La Dépêche, France 3 Occitanie, Médiapart and Sud Ouest, she sounds the alarm: fires are getting earlier in the season, more intense, and can affect areas historically spared. "Alone, firefighters may not be able to cope. We need a collective response" This is one of the strong messages she sends out, underlining the need for a prevention strategy far more ambitious than emergency response alone, to deal with the growing threat of megafires. AFP press releases relayed by Médiapart and Sud Ouest: Article France3 Occitanie Article La Dépêche
Mélanie Rochoux, speaker at the CNRS Échappée Inattendue on ‘The Voices from the forests'
23 May 2025
On Thursday 5 June 2025 at 7.30pm at Les Halles de la Cartoucherie in Toulouse, there will be the micro-conference on “Les Voix des forêts” with the participation of Mélanie Rochoux (CERFACS): “Forests facing the new fire situation”. Find out more about the full program here:
