News

Michal Naumiak, a student in the Digital Security program at EURECOM who is currently pursuing a dual degree at Laval University (Quebec) in Artificial Intelligence, has been selected from among many candidates to receive a scholarship in Computer Science, Cyber and Data/AI scholarship offered by the French Navy.

This scholarship, worth €15,000 per year, is intended for students in the 3rd or 4th year of their studies in computer science, cyber or data, who have been admitted to continue in a Master’s-level program and are willing to commit to four years of service as commissioned officers in the French armed forces after graduation. This program aims to support young talent while strengthening technical expertise in the service of national defense.

For Michal, this path is the culmination of a consistent and passionate journey:

"EURECOM allowed me to develop cross-disciplinary skills, both through courses and academic opportunities, and to build a profile that stands out to recruiters. The close-knit community and human scale of the school encourage everyone to lead their own projects and take an active role in campus life."

Committed and curious, Michal had already dabbled in a military career:

"I applied to the École navale after my preparatory classes, but decided to come back later with sharper technical skills. I wanted to broaden my cybersecurity background by adding expertise in artificial intelligence. The double master’s degree became the right choice, and this Navy scholarship came as an exceptional opportunity at the perfect time, a true stroke of destiny. "

Michal will soon join the French Navy as a cybersecurity officer, a strategic role at the intersection of advanced technologies, defense and public service.

🎓 EURECOM warmly congratulates Michal on this distinction and his exemplary commitment to research and digital security!

EURECOM has formalised an academic partnership with Yonsei University, one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea and a globally recognized leader in higher education and research.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Professors Seung-Jae Han and Chungyong Lee, Deans of the Faculties of Computing and Engineering at Yonsei University, along with Prof. David Gesbert, Director of EURECOM, thereby affirming the strong commitment of both institutions to this collaboration.

Internationally recognised academic excellence

Ranked in the global top 50 (QS 2026), Yonsei University stands out across numerous disciplines. The university further reinforced its global academic standing by producing the 2025 Nobel Prize laureate in Literature, highlighting its outstanding contributions not only in science and engineering but also in the humanities.

Synergy around cutting-edge technologies

Yonsei University is particularly renowned for its cutting-edge research in next-generation communications, including 6G technologies, where it is widely regarded as one of the most active and influential research institutions in the world. Its strong focus on interdisciplinary innovation, spanning artificial intelligence, wireless communications, cloud computing and data science, makes it an ideal partner for EURECOM’s mission in digital sciences.

Exchange programmes and research

Through this collaboration, EURECOM and Yonsei University will jointly develop a graduate-level exchange program, enabling students from both institutions to engage in advanced coursework and participate in high-impact research projects. This partnership is expected to foster deeper academic exchange, strengthen global research networks, and accelerate innovation in key technological domains.

Prior to this agreement, Professor Chan-Byoung Chae from Yonsei University visited EURECOM in May 2025 and signed a separate MoU on research collaboration in 6G and cloud technologies. The newly established graduate exchange program builds upon this foundation, expanding cooperation into education and talent development, and further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two institutions.

EURECOM looks forward to a long-term collaboration with Yonsei University, contributing to the advancement of global education and research excellence.

Elisa Chiapponi graduated from EURECOM in 2020 with a double degree from Politecnico di Torino and Télécom Paris, specializing in Security of Communication Systems. In 2023, she obtained her Ph.D. in Digital Security from Sorbonne Université. She worked on her Ph.D. thesis at EURECOM in collaboration with Amadeus. Today, she is a Senior Cybersecurity Researcher at Amadeus, based in Sophia Antipolis.
Her journey is a perfect example of how EURECOM equips students with hands-on experience, industry connections, and an international perspective, helping them shape successful and fulfilling careers.

Discovering her passion

During her studies at Politecnico di Torino, Elisa was exploring options for a double degree abroad. She wanted strong academic training, close links to industry, and a collaborative learning environment. EURECOM immediately stood out: small class sizes, courses taught directly by professors on cutting-edge research topics, and a stimulating environment closely connected to real-world challenges.

“Studying in an international environment, close to the sea and with many sunny days, contributed to an excellent quality of life during my studies,” she recalls.

Elisa followed the System Security curriculum, and her favorite course was Mobile Security. Through Capture-The-Flag (CTF) challenges, she explored Android security in a hands-on way, a fun and formative experience that sparked her long-term interest in cybersecurity research.

Her overall experience at EURECOM?
“Challenging, inspiring, and formative. EURECOM pushed me intellectually and helped me discover my passion for cybersecurity, which later led me to pursue a PhD. I also built strong international friendships that I still maintain today.”

From studies to first job

After graduating, Elisa joined Amadeus for a research internship, which led to her PhD sponsorship. Upon completing her doctorate, she became a full-time cybersecurity researcher.

She found this opportunity through the EURECOM Forum Entreprises, leaving her CV at the Amadeus booth and discussing her interests with the team. Months later, her future manager from the security team contacted her for an interview.

A day in the life of a Cybersecurity Researcher

Elisa’s work focuses on detecting and mitigating automated attacks (bots).

Her days are diverse and dynamic, including:

• Studying scientific papers and emerging attack techniques
• Analyzing real attack data
• Designing, implementing, and testing detection or mitigation methods
• Writing research papers and patents
• Presenting results at conferences
• Supervising other researchers and engineers
• Participating in internal innovation and European research projects

Main challenge: Cybersecurity is a constant arms race, staying one step ahead of attackers is demanding but intellectually stimulating.

Favorite part of her work: “It’s constantly evolving, intellectually challenging, and impactful. I know my work contributes to protecting real systems and users.”

Shaping a career with curiosity and impact

Elisa credits EURECOM for giving her the skills and mindset to thrive in cybersecurity: adaptability, analytical thinking, and collaboration in international teams. “EURECOM taught me how to face new challenges, manage multiple tasks in parallel, and remain flexible in complex and evolving environments, skills that are essential in cybersecurity research.” she says.

She also encourages future female students: “Cybersecurity is a stimulating, creative field. Diverse perspectives make security solutions stronger. Don’t self-censor, your perspective is valuable.”

Her advice to all students: stay curious, explore research projects, industry collaborations, and internships, and test what truly excites you. “Be curious and passionate, stay up to date in your field, and take advantage of as many research/industrial projects and internships as possible. They are invaluable to understand what you truly enjoy, what the academia/industry is actually looking for and where you want to specialize.”

We’re delighted to showcase the journey of Elisa Chiapponi, whose passion, curiosity, and dedication have led her from the classroom to a successful career in cybersecurity at Amadeus in Sophia Antipolis. Her story is a perfect example of how EURECOM equips students with the skills, experiences, and mindset to thrive in a challenging and dynamic world. We hope Elisa’s journey inspires our current and future students to explore, take on challenges, and shape their own paths.

Read the full interview on our Alumni Platform, HERE

EURECOM is set to showcase to the attendees of the WAICF 2026 event with a series of hands-on demos from leading researchers and teams. From knowledge graphs powering AI agents to drone-enhanced 5G networks and deepfake detection, these presentations highlight the forefront of artificial intelligence and its real-world applications. Mark your calendars for February 12-13, as EURECOM demo sessions promise breakthroughs in structured reasoning, wireless innovation, medical imaging, and software engineering.

Location: 3iA booth K07

Do not miss our demos!

1. GraphRAG and Structured World Models

On Thursday, February 12, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, Prof. Raphaël Troncy will demo GraphRAG in the context of the LettRAGraph project. Titled "Equip Your Agents with a Structured World Model", the demo explores how context graphs shift AI from mere pattern completion to robust, schema-adherent knowledge graphs. Built on the Gemma 3 suite, the Perseus model (docs.perseus.lettria.net) outperforms major LLMs in creating dynamic graphs for enterprise reasoning, planning, and memory management.

2. Trustworthy AI in Healthcare

Friday, February 13, from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM brings 3IA PhD student Vincenzo Marcianò from Prof. Maria A. Zuluaga's team with "Can We Trust AI When It Comes to Healthcare?". Focused on medical imaging, the demo stresses rigorous quality control for AI segmentation models. It addresses the critical need to validate diagnostic accuracy and consistency in clinical settings, ensuring AI meets real-world medical standards.

Later that day, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, Xiaoming Zhang and Matteo Pentassuglia unveil a second demo from the same team: the ERC Consolidator project CARAVEL. This AI-driven effort analyzes brain vessel trees in neurovascular imaging to create the first atlas of vascular aging, paving new paths in brain science.

3. Real-Time Deepfake Generation and Detection

With Prof. Jean-Luc Dugelay, on Friday, February 13 from 11.30 to 12.30 discover the demo "Generation of Audio/Video Deepfakes and Detection". Participants become "pilots" via camera and mic to puppeteer celebrities in real-time using public tools. The session also covers R&D from the French AID DeTOX project, unveiling advanced detectors to combat deepfake proliferation.

4. AI Boost for Software Engineering

From 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM on Friday, February 13, Dario Satriani and Francesco Dente from Prof. Paolo Papotti's team demo AI4SwEng: How LLMs Can Support the Entire Software Engineering Lifecycle. Experience Text2Stories, which evaluates user story grounding against interviews for coverage and traceability, and API-Bench, a benchmark testing AI agents on real-world backend extensions via OpenAPI specs.

5. Drone-Powered 5G Networks

On Friday, February 13, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, Omid Esrafilian from Prof. David Gesbert's team rounds out the lineup with "Flying Autonomous 5G Networks". This demo from the Drone4Wireless lab showcases flying robots enhancing cellular infrastructure, delivering precise localization, adaptive connectivity, and more.

These demos embody EURECOM's commitment to transformative AI research. Join us at WAICF to interact, learn, and explore the future firsthand! Feel free to join us. Book your free pass at WAICF HERE!

For future graduates in digital technologies, understanding career prospects after graduation is essential. This survey provides a concrete picture of what EURECOM graduates do after completing their studies and how quickly they integrate into the job market.

Survey methodology

This survey was conducted in May 2025 among 286 EURECOM graduates: 177 from the 2023 class and 109 from the 2024 class. Through 53 structured questions, we collected detailed information about the respondents' profiles, their training path at EURECOM, and any additional training they pursued after graduation. Graduates also shared their professional situation one year after graduation and at the time of the survey.

Training aligned with professional aspirations and market needs

The results demonstrate excellent alignment between our graduates' career paths and their initial aspirations: more than 8 out of 10 graduates report satisfaction with this match. Notably, 44% hold positions involving responsibilities similar to those of a research engineer.

Graduates emphasize that their intellectual curiosity, appetite for continuous learning, and methodological rigor are major assets in achieving their professional goals. They believe they have developed the necessary skills to meet job market requirements. This perception is reflected in their satisfaction rate with their EURECOM training, which reaches 82% this year.

High-value expertise areas 

Analysis of employment sectors shows a strong presence of graduates in cybersecurity, which accounts for 42% of current positions. Digital technology and innovation consulting also represent a significant share of professional outcomes, at 22%.

Other employment outcomes for the 2023 and 2024 graduating classes include next-generation networks, academic research, and software development.

Learn more about the data collected in the survey

Rapid professional integration and attractive compensation

The training provided at EURECOM promotes rapid and sustainable professional integration. The majority of our graduates find employment within 3 months of graduation. In parallel, 20% choose to continue their academic path, particularly through MS/MSc programs or doctoral studies.

While more than half of graduates work in France (54%), a significant proportion (46%) build their careers internationally. The private sector remains the main employer, representing 90% of professional opportunities.

Our graduates' preferred employment selection criteria are, in order of importance: alignment between the position and their professional project, the sector of activity, and compensation level (determining factors for 68% of them). In their first job, gross annual compensation is predominantly between €40,000 and €49,000, with an average salary of €50,000 (excluding bonuses and premiums). 

Remarkable professional integration indicators

Twelve months after graduation, 90% of our graduates are professionally active, either full-time or part-time. The figures demonstrate a particularly dynamic market for our profiles: 79% find employment within 3 months of graduation. At the time of the survey, nearly 9 out of 10 respondents are professionally active, with 7 out of 10 on permanent contracts.

Professional experience plays a decisive role in accessing employment. Thus, 36.7% of our graduates obtain their first position through internships completed during their training.

These results illustrate the relevance of EURECOM's pedagogical model, which combines academic excellence with practical application of the teachings provided. The alignment between our training programs and labor market needs, combined with the aspirations of our digital engineering students, translates into successful professional integration and promising career paths.

In line with our commitment to continuous improvement and tracking graduates’ career paths, the Class of 2025 will soon be invited to participate in the next professional integration survey. Graduates will shortly receive all the information needed to contribute to updating these key indicators.

Learn more about the data collected in the survey

I am truly excited about the year ahead for EURECOM.

After an intense and rewarding 2025, we are entering a new phase, one where many of our ambitions are becoming tangible.

2026 will be a year of bold steps forward together with our consortium members, reflecting the mindset of all our talented colleagues on campus!

This year marks a symbolic milestone with the graduation ceremony of our very first cohort of EURECOM Engineer Degree graduates on March 13. This moment will both be a source of pride and a strong validation of our academic vision. I am confident that the technical expertise, international exposure, and human values they have gained at EURECOM set them up optimally to build impactful careers, and, hopefully, to change the world even if just a little.

Second, our international and collaborative DNA continues to grow.

Over the past year, EURECOM has strengthened its academic and industrial partnerships worldwide, expanded student mobility opportunities, and welcomed talents from all continents.
In 2026, this openness will remain a strategic priority, because innovation rarely happens in silos (and never on one continent alone).

Third, research excellence and innovation are accelerating.

Our strong presence at major international events such as WAICF, MWC, and the AI Summit, combined with the many awards received in 2025, clearly demonstrates the impact and visibility of our research.

Perhaps one figure best illustrates the talent density among our Faculty, no fewer than 35% of our professors were listed in the 2025 Stanford World’s Top 2% Scientists ranking. Research activity was also impressive, with 2025 having the highest R&D project turnover since EURECOM’s founding 33 years ago, with many of these projects being carried out in collaboration with EURECOM’s consortium members. Among the collected excellence awards, perhaps a special mention to the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2025, granted to the Odeuropa project in the Research category, a powerful reminder that cutting-edge research can also carry deep cultural and societal meaning.

Looking ahead, 2026 is poised to become another turning point for our school and shared campus. Many examples come to mind, but let us cite only a few here.

The launch of EURECOM’s AI Center, to be housed in the brand-new Alpha building will provide much more than additional space. It will be a strategic hub designed to strengthen interactions between researchers, students, and industry partners, and to accelerate AI innovation pertaining to all key EURECOM expertise domains in autonomous systems, future communication (6G) and transport networks, cybersecurity, life sciences and beyond. For infrastructure, the EURECOM AI Center will be supported by the newly deployed CIRCALIS computing center for AI experimentation and fueled in part by the SUNRECOM solar farm on campus. For the future networks area, the campus will accelerate the deployment of advanced experimentation tools via the EU-wide SLICES initiative where EURECOM is a key actor.

In parallel, we are launching a Joint Lab with EDHEC for Quantum in information and communications systems, further reinforcing our positioning at the intersection of engineering, management, and breakthrough technologies. This initiative responds directly to the expectations of new generations of students and partners, who increasingly seek hybrid skills and real-world impact.

Beyond buildings, joint labs initiatives, and projects, what truly makes EURECOM special is its people.

The strong sense of community, the engagement in wide-ranging initiatives (including non-tech related such as Pink October, the shared victories and defeats during the Sophia Games), and the national HappyAtSchool ranking where EURECOM once more appeared in the top 3 all remind us that excellence is strongest when it is built together, in a supportive and welcoming environment.

As we step into 2026, our ambition remains clear:

to continue building, with its consortium members, a truly unique international institution that combines scientific excellence, high-level education, values openness, and responsible innovation, in service of our students, partners, and society.

I wish you all a very happy, inspiring, and successful year ahead, filled with bold ideas, meaningful collaborations, and shared achievements.

Best wishes for 2026,

Prof. David Gesbert
Director of EURECOM

How do we train engineers and professionals in the technologies that will design the networks of the future? At EURECOM, the answer lies in research, experimentation and pedagogy rooted in real-world challenges. Through the IMTfor5G+ project, supported by France 2030, the school is participating in an ambitious national program: preparing the skills needed for 5G technologies and beyond, while integrating the environmental and societal challenges of digital technology.

A national project for the skills of the future

Winner of the "Skills and Jobs of the Future" program under France 2030, IMTfor5G+ is led by Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT), with support from the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE) and Caisse des Dépôts. The project brings together schools from the IMT network, including EURECOM, as well as several major industrial players such as Orange, Thales and Ericsson France. Together, we are designing a comprehensive training offering on 5G technologies and future network architectures.

"IMTfor5G+ enables us to rethink how we learn about networks. It's less about teaching a technology than fostering a culture of innovation and sustainability," explains Professor Raymond KNOPP.

Experimentation at the heart of pedagogy

At EURECOM, students learn by experimenting. Our faculty researchers involved in IMTfor5G+ are developing new educational content directly inspired by their research work, particularly on 6G OpenAirInterface (OAI). These initiatives offer students concrete immersion in tomorrow's networks, through experimental platforms, industry partnership projects and hybrid modules combining theory and practice.

Responsible and accessible digital technology

IMTfor5G+ also places energy efficiency and inclusive training at the heart of its approach. MOOCs open to all, certification modules for professionals in career transition, and programs for technicians and high school students aim to democratize knowledge and strengthen digital skills across the country.

Several students from IMT Atlantique, for example, have created an experimental private 5G network powered by solar energy.
This approach illustrates the IMT network's collective commitment to training for a more sustainable, more efficient and more sovereign digital future.

Training to understand and master the networks of the future

Beyond technological innovation, IMTfor5G+ carries a shared ambition: to give future professionals the means to act.
By learning to design and rethink tomorrow's networks, students trained at EURECOM become key players in a more sovereign, more responsible and more open digital landscape.
It is this alliance between research, pedagogy and collective commitment that is shaping, day by day, tomorrow's digital sovereignty.

Sources :

• https://www.imt.fr/projet/imtfor5g
• https://imtfor5g.wp.imt.fr/
• https://anr.fr/fr/detail/call/competences-et-metiers-davenir-cma-appel-a-manifestation-dinteret-2021-2025/
   

EURECOM renews its "Happy at School" certification for the 4th consecutive year and ranks 3rd in the 2025 national ranking of engineering schools with fewer than 1000 students.

Awarded by Choose My Company following a survey of engineering students, this certification reflects their satisfaction with studying on the Sophia-Antipolis campus. The overall experience reaches an exceptional score of 4.59/5, while the recommendation rate jumps to 94.4% (+16.3 points vs. the average for engineering schools).

Discover the full ranking by clicking here.

Students particularly value EURECOM's international environment (cultural diversity and English-taught programs) as well as its geographical location, creating an atmosphere conducive to learning. The values of "International," "Excellence," and "Innovation" are clearly shared and reflect the school's atmosphere.

This 3rd place reflects the strong trust our students place in us. At EURECOM, our human scale and the close relationship between students, the management team and the faculty allow us to stay closely aligned with their needs. Far from seeing this ranking as an achievement, it encourages us to continue our efforts and innovate to continuously enhance the student experience.

Following the survey, several internal actions have already been implemented, including strengthened exchanges with student representatives to quickly identify priorities.

In parallel, EURECOM is actively involved at the local level in discussions with the CASA and other schools within the Sophia Antipolis area (SKEMA, Mines Paris-PSL) to help improve student living conditions. In the longer term, EURECOM is also investing in new tools and software to simplify internal administrative procedures and further enhance the quality of services provided to students.

EURECOM's strengths, according to our students:

"The proximity with professors, the quality of courses and projects we do."

"Small amount of students which facilitate the communication and friendship."

"I like the most my classmate, the school vibe is amazing, small school that makes us feel like a family."

"The place, the AWESOME staff and the premises."

"The international aspect is truly fantastic. The mix of cultures is really enriching. I really enjoy some courses. The human-scale campus allows you to know almost everyone and be quite close."

Discover the full ranking by clicking here.