Gérard Gremaud was born in Fribourg in 1949. After classical studies at College St Michel in Fribourg, he received his diploma in physics engineering in 1974 and his PhD in 1981 at EPFL. From this date, he became responsible for research at EPFL. He is now co-responsible for the Mechanical Spectroscopy Laboratory at the Institute of Physics of Complex Materials. In 2002, he became also chief of the service of physics teaching laboratories and physics classroom demonstrations of EPFL. In 2005, he obtained the title of Professor of EPFL. From 1976, he is teaching in the fields of acoustics, vibrations, metallurgical physics, thermodynamics, dislocation theory, metrology and physics laboratories.
He has a variety of research fields : dislocation dynamics, structural phase transitions, mechanical and tribological properties at nanoscale, and mechanical properties of vibrated granular materials. In these fields, he has directed about ten PhD thesis. He is the author of numerous theoretical models which are largely cited. Specialized in acoustical spectroscopy techniques, he developped several original experimental techniques, such as the US-LF coupling technique. His publications include about 130 research papers, 11 book chapters, 6 popular publications and 2 books as editor.
In addition to about 40 invited lectures and conference talks in leading institutions worldwide, he has co-organized several international conferences and summer schools. Member of several scientific societies, he contributes also as referee for numerous scientific journals and several scientific research funding organisations.He was collaborating also during several years to two small companies in Switzerland, as administrator or president.
MAIN PUBLICATIONS
The coupling technique: A two wave acoustic method for the study of dislocation dynamics, G. Gremaud, M. Bujard, W. Benoit, J. Appl. Phys., 61, 5, 1795-1805 (1987)
Etude à basse fréquence des pics de frottement intérieur associés à une transition de phase du 1er ordre, G. Gremaud, J.-E. Bidaux, W. Benoit, Helv. Phys. Acta, 60, 947-958 (1987) Dislocation and kink dynamics in FCC metals studied by mechanical spectroscopy, W. Benoit, G. Gremaud, B. Quenet, Mat. Sc. Eng., A164, 42-57 (1993) Characterization of thin films using inversion of generalized Lamb waves, O. Behrend, A. Kulik, G. Gremaud, Appl. Phys. Let., 62 (22), 2787-2789 (1993) Nanosubharmonics: The Dynamics of Small Nonlinear Contacts, N. A. Burnham, A. J. Kulik, G. Gremaud, G.A.D. Briggs, Phys. Rev. Let., 74 (25), 5092-5095 (1995) Local mechanical spectroscopy with nanometer-scale lateral resolution, F. Oulevey, G. Gremaud, A. Semoroz, A. J. Kulik, N. A. Burnham, E. Dupas, D. Gourdon, Rev. Sci. Instrum. , 69, 5, 2085-2094 (1998) Theory of dislocation-solute atom interactions in solid solutions and related non-linear anelasticity, G. Gremaud, S. Kustov, Phys. Rev. B, 60, 13, 9353-9364 (1999) Dislocation-point defects interactions, G. Gremaud, In "Mechanical Spectroscopy", chapter 3.3, Materials Science Forum, vol. 366-368, Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland (2001) , p. 178-247 The jamming route to the glass-state in weakly perturbed granular media, G. D'Anna, G. Gremaud, Nature, 413, 407-409 (2001) Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann Type Diffusive Slowdown in Weakly Perturbed Granular Media, G. D'Anna, G. Gremaud, Phys. Rev. Let., 87, 25, 254302-1-4 (2001) Overview on dislocation-point defect interaction: the brownian picture of dislocation motion, G. Gremaud, Mat. Sc. Eng., A370, 191-198 (2004) Adhesion hysteris and friction at nanometer and micrometer lengths, R. Szoszkiewicz, B. Bhushan, B. D. Huey, A. J. Kulik, G. Gremaud, J. Appl. Phys., 99, 014310 (2006) Non-linear Anelasticity of Topological Vortex Matter in Martensites , S. Kustov, E. Cesari, G. Gremaud, Materials Science and Engineering A, 432 (2006) 390-397 Mechanical spectroscopy of vibrated granular matter, P. Mayor, G. D’Anna, G. Gremaud, A. Barrat, V. Loreto, Materials Science and Engineering A, 432 (2006) 256-262 Theory of plasticity and anelasticity due to dislocation creep through a multi-scale hierarchy of obstacles , G. Gremaud, Materials Science & Engineering A (2008), doi:10.1016/j.msea.2008.09.131
Teaching
Physics
Phd programs
Physics (edoc)
Phd Students
Sellerio Alessandro Past Phd students:
Bremnes Oystein
Dupas Emmanuel
Mayor Patrick
Szoszkiewicz Robert
codirection de thèse
Bujard Martial
Quenet Brigitte
Richard Philippe
Progin Olivier
Oulevey Frédéric
Host Professor 