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Anne-Florence Bitbol

anne-florence.bitbol@epfl.ch https://www.epfl.ch/labs/bitbol-lab/

I was trained in physics, and always had a strong interest in biology. I am broadly interested in understanding biological phenomena in a quantitative way, through physical concepts and mathematical and computational tools. I investigate the relative impacts of optimization and historical contingency in biological evolution, both at the scale of protein sequences and at the scale of microbial populations.

Here is my research group website.

Curriculum vitae

Here is my complete CV.

Professional experience:
  • Since 2026: Associate Professor (tenured), Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Switzerland
  • 2020-2025: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Switzerland
  • 2016-2020: CNRS Researcher (tenured), Laboratoire Jean Perrin, Sorbonne Université, France
  • 2012-2016: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biophysics Theory Group (PIs: Ned Wingreen, William Bialek, Curtis Callan), Princeton University, USA

Education:
  • 2009-2012: PhD in Physics, summa cum laude, Université Paris-Cité (Paris-Diderot), France, "Statistics and dynamics of complex biological membranes", advised by Jean-Baptiste Fournier
  • 2007-2009: MSc in Physics, summa cum laude, ENS, Paris, France 
  • 2006-2007: BSc in Physics, summa cum laude, ENS Lyon, France 

Awards

Reviewer Excellence award

American Physical Society

2025

Early Career Scientist Prize in Biological Physics

International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)

2023

Best teacher award

Life Sciences Engineering teaching section, EPFL

2023

Michelin Young Researcher (PhD) Prize

French Physical Society

2014

Louis Forest PhD Prize in the Life Sciences

Chancellery of the Universities of Paris

2013

Teaching & PhD

PhD Students

Alexandre Didier Nicolas Littiere, Agathe Bredel, Anamay Ashwin Samant, Cecilia Fruet, Hengdong Lu

Past EPFL PhD Students

Nicola Dietler (2024), Richard Marie Servajean (2024), Damiano Sgarbossa (2025)