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SUBATECH
In a few words
The SUBATECH laboratory is a joint research unit (UMR 6457) under the triple supervision of the Institut Mines-Télécom through its school, IMT Atlantique, the University of Nantes and the CNRS with the National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics (IN2P3) as the main institute and the National Institute of Chemistry as a secondary institute. Fully integrated in major worldwide scientific collaborations, Subatech's research activities revolve around the fields of nuclear, hadronic, particle and astroparticle physics and radiochemistry. Subatech carries out both fundamental and applied research in the fields of energy, the environment and health. The mastery of technologies associated with these fields is a key factor for the success of the laboratory's projects. Subatech contributes to the socio-economic development thanks to a finalized research and valorization strategy, whether it be industrial chairs, technology transfers, the creation of a company by laboratory members or the co-financing of doctoral theses with the industrial world.
The SUBATECH laboratory is located on the Nantes campus of IMT Atlantique (campus access) in the Chantrerie site. The 4 thematic axes of the laboratory are: The Two Infinites, Nuclear for Health, Nuclear for Energy and the Environment, and Technologies Associated with Subatomic Physics.
In numbers
- 196 people
- 8 research teams and 5 support services
- 230 publications and oral communications per year
- 5 M€ total budget per year
- 40% engineers, technicians and administrative staff
- 35% researchers, teacher-researchers and post-docs
- 25% PhD students
- 92 trainees per year
(as of March 2025)
Thematic Areas
The Two Infinites
From the study of the plasma of quarks and gluons, the state of matter in the first instants of the Universe, to the origins of the most energetic cosmic particles, through the search for the mysterious dark matter and the understanding of the elusive neutrinos, Subatech is involved in the major international collaborations that seek to answer fundamental questions in subatomic physics.
Nuclear for Energy and the Environment
With an approach that integrates research in radiochemistry and nuclear physics, as well as economic and societal aspects, Subatech studies the properties of radionuclides and their migration in the environment, as well as the management and recovery of nuclear waste. We are also involved in the design of future reactors and in the study of the environmental impact of civil nuclear.
Nuclear for Health
Subatech studies the production processes and chemical properties of radionuclides used in the medical field and those to be used in the future to imagine innovative therapies. We are also involved in the design and construction of medical imaging and diagnostic systems based on the latest developments in nuclear and subatomic physics detectors.
Associated Technologies
Subatech designs and integrates complex detection systems, from mechanis to electronics and data analysis, used at the heart of large-scale experiments, and has a rare mastery of the technology liquid Xenon detectors. With the radiochemistry laboratory and the SMART service, we are also recognized experts in environmental radioactivity measurements and ultra-trace techniques.