A former doctoral student at ISIR, Azad Artinian recently joined the laboratory as a Associate Professor to continue his research activities. He looks back on his career and his projects.
Can you describe your research journey that led you to ISIR?
Azad Artinian: “I obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanics and a master’s degree in robotics at Sorbonne University. I then completed my end-of-studies internship at ISIR, under the supervision of Wael Bachta, where I studied the link between tactile illusions and postural balance. I continued with a thesis, also at ISIR, supervised by Véronique Perdereau and Faïz Ben Amar, on the robotic manipulation of deformable objects.
After defending my thesis, I did a year of postdoctoral research at ICube and TIMC, under the supervision of Benoit Rosa and Taha Chikhaoui, during which I worked on a new type of deformable robot: the push-pull robot. Finally, just before returning to ISIR as a Associate Professor, I began a second postdoctoral fellowship at TIMC and Gipsa-lab, supervised by Taha Chikhaoui and Hassen Fourati, focusing on state estimation for deformable robots.”
What memories do you have of your thesis at ISIR?
A.A.: “Overall, I have fond memories (which is why I chose to come back!). Like all theses, there were difficult moments, and it’s during those moments that it’s important to have good people around you.”
You have just been appointed as a Associate Professor in Modeling and Control for Robotics (congratulations!). How would you describe your experience of the competition?
A.A.: “Thank you! First of all, I would like to thank everyone who helped me improve my application and prepare for the audition. Without their help, I wouldn’t have gotten very far in this competition.
It was quite special because I was waiting until the very last moment to find out the results of the qualification round before I could apply. It was a very intense period in terms of work, and I learned a lot in a very short time.”
What research or projects will you be developing in the laboratory?
A.A.: “I would like to continue my work on deformations in robotics, whether it be the manipulation of deformable objects by robots or the study of deformable robots, and integrate these themes into both the laboratory and my teaching. At the same time, I began exploring medical and surgical applications during my post-doc with the RDH teams at ICube and GMCAO at TIMC, and I would like to continue to bring my research closer to these medical applications. This is fortunate, as there are many medical applications for deformable robotics.”
Contact : Azad Artinian, Associate Professor
Published on 10/10/2025
