Simon PASCAL

Currently:

• Dye-sensitized solar cells (Practical Work, Master 2 LUMOMAT)

Previously:

• 2022: Green Chemistry & Spectroscopy (Practical Work, 2^nd year DUT, 78 h) – Marseille University Institute of Technology (IUT)
• 2021: Spectroscopy (Practical Work, 2nd year DUT, 20 h) – Marseille University Institute of Technology (IUT)
• 2015–2016: Organic Chemistry (Practical Work, 1^st & 2^nd year students, 240 h),– Geneva University
• 2011–2014: Organic Chemistry & Agregation Lessons (192 h) – ENS de Lyon
• 2010–2011: Tutoring in Thermodynamics & Kinetics (Licence 1 students, 40 h) – Rennes 1 University

Simon Pascal is specialized in the synthesis of charged chromophores absorbing/emitting in the visible and near infrared, and has extensive expertise in their applications as materials for emerging fields (biophotonics, photosensitizers, molecular electronics...). He is the author of more than 70 publications at the frontiers between organic chemistry, spectroscopy and materials.

• Organic synthesis (pi-conjugated molecules, heterocycles)
• Polymethines, quinones, coordination complexes, macrocycles, helicenes ...
• Photophysics of UV-visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared dyes
• Applications: dye-sensitized solar cells, bio-imaging, nonlinear optics

Selected recent publications:

"Coupled Polymethine Dyes: Six Decades of Discoveries"
B. Mourot, D. Jacquemin, O. Siri, S. Pascal
Chem. Rec. 2024, 24, e202400183
DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202400183 / HAL archive: hal-04777010

"Insights into Extended Coupled Polymethines through the Investigation of Dual UV-to-NIR Acidochromic Switches Based on Heptamethine-Oxonol Dyes"
B. Mourot, V. Mazan, M. Elhabiri, R. Sarkar, D. Jacquemin, O. Siri, S. Pascal
Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 1248–1259 (HOT article).
DOI: 10.1039/D3SC06126D / HAL archive: hal-04345047

"Tris-benzo[cd]indole Cyanine Enables the NIR-photosensitized Radical and Thiol-ene Polymerizations at 940 nm"
C. Elian, B. Mourot, C. Benbouziyane, J.-P. Malval, S. Lajnef, F. Peyrot, F. Massuyeau, O. Siri, D. Jacquemin, S. Pascal, D.-L. Versace
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, e202305963.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202305963 / HAL archive: hal-04183684

"A Strategy to Design Substituted Tetraamino-Phenazine Dyes and Access to an NIR-Absorbing Benzoquinonediimine-Fused Quinoxaline"
T. Munteanu, V. Mazan, M. Elhabiri, C. Benbouziyane, G. Canard, D. Jacquemin, O. Siri, S. Pascal
Org. Lett. 2023, 25, 3886–3891.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c01251 / HAL archive: hal-04103261

"Near-Infrared Dyes for Two-Photon Absorption in the Short-Wavelength Infrared: Strategies Towards Optical Power Limiting"
S. Pascal, S. David, C. Andraud, O. Maury
Chem. Soc. Rev. 2021, 50, 6613–6658
DOI: 10.1039/d0cs01221a / HAL archive: hal-03197147
 

Current and past collaborations:

• O. Siri & G. Canard (CINaM, Marseille): quinones and porphyrinoid macrocycles
• D. Jacquemin (CEISAM, Nantes): (TD-)DFT calculations
• F. Odobel, S. Diring & Y. Pellegrin (CEISAM, Nantes): dye-sensitized solar cells and photocatalysis
• S. Gauthier (ISCR, Lannion): pyrane-based dyes for solar cells
• D. Bardelang (iSm2, Marseille) & A. Kermagoret (CINaM, Marseille): cucurbituril-based supramolecular assemblies
• D. A. Vander Griend (Calvin University, USA): chemical reactions modeling
• D.-L. Versace (ICMPE, Paris): photopolymerization sensitizers
• F. Sauvage (LRCS, Amiens): transparent and colorless solar cells
• P. Jelinek & B. de la Torre (CATRIN, Czech Republic): on-surfaces chemistry, STM, AFM
• R. Parret & T. Leoni (CINaM, Marseille): on-surfaces 2D materials
• A. Georgiev (University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria): ESIPT heterocycles and fluorophores
• M. Elhabiri & V. Mazan (LIMA, Strasbourg): spectrophotochemical titrations
• D. Shetty (Khalifa University, UAE) & A. Trabolsi (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE): covalent organic framework materials
• L. Sanhueza (Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile): porphyrinoid macrocycles
• Y. Cotelle & A. Martinez (iSm2, Marseille): hemicryptophane cages
• S. Goeb & M. Sallé (MOLTECH, Angers): auto-assembled metalla-structures
• B. Luszczynska (Lodz University of Technology, Poland): organic electronics
• P. Lothak (University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic): aza- and thiacalixarenes macrocycles
• A. Da Silva (Institut Fresnel, Marseille): photoacoustic imaging
• S. R. Marder (University of Colorado Boulder, USA): dyes for nonlinear optics

Positions & scientific experiences:

• 2023: CNRS Researcher, CEISAM Laboratory, Nantes University, France
• 2016: CNRS Researcher, CINaM, Aix-Marseille University, France
• 2014–2016: Post-doctoral associate, University of Geneva, Switzerland
  Synthesis and study of cationic helical dyes (J. Lacour)
• 2011–2014: PhD, ENS Lyon (France), including 2 months at GeorgiaTech (Atlanta, USA)
  Polymethine dyes for non-linear optics in the near-infrared (C. Andraud, O. Maury)
• 2011: Master 2 internship, ISCR, Université de Rennes 1 (France), including 1 month at the Zhengzhou University (China)
  Organophosphorus heterocycles for optoelectronics (M. Hissler & P.-A. Bouit)
• 2010: Master 1 internship, Homogeneous catalysis institute, Zaragoza (Spain)
  Rh-alkylidene complexes containing an N-heterocyclic carbene (R. Castarlenas, L. Oro)
• 2009: Licence 3 internship, ISCR, Université de Rennes 1, France
  Chiral N,O-carboxylate ligand and application in catalysis (M. Achard, C. Bruneau)
• 2008: IUT internship, Cardiff school of chemistry (Wales)
  Regioselective lithiation of thiophene derivatives (N. Buurma, R. Richardson)

Diploma:

• 2022: Habilitation (HDR), Aix-Marseille University, France
• 2014: PhD in Chemistry, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
• 2011: Master in Molecular Chemistry, Rennes 1 University, France (Highest honors)
• 2009: Master’s Degree in Cemistry, Rennes 1 University, France (Honors)
• 2008: University Diploma of Technology (DUT) in Chemistry, University Institute of Technology (IUT) of Rennes, France

Scientific output:

• 73 publications (19 as corresponding author and 15 as first author)
• 26 oral presentations at conferences, 14 invited seminars, 17 posters presented personally
• 1500–1800 citations, H-index = 23–25 (May 2025)
• More bibliographic details: Web of Science, ORCID, Scholar et Researchgate

Distinction:

“Jean-Pierre Sauvage Young Researcher Prize” in 2024, Organic Chemistry Division of the French Chemical Society (DCO-SCF)

Funded projects as coordinator/PI:

• 2024–2028: TRANSCEND (Connect’ Talent Pays de la Loire Region, 620k)
  Transparent solar cells using near-infrared dyes
   
• 2020–2024: SOCOOL (National Research Agency, 211k€)
  Coupled polymethines for NIR-II absorption
   
• 2020: MALDI (SUD Region, 110k€)
  Development of 2D coordination polymers

Additional information:

• Thesis (co-)director: Jean-Loup Multrier (2024-present), Benjamin Mourot (2021–2024),
  Tatiana Munteanu (2020–2023), Angélina Torres Ruiz (2018–2021)
• Treasurer of the Bretagne-Pays de la Loire division of the French Chemical Society (SCF-BPL)
• Scientific broadcast: la chimie des colorants et les applications énergétiques, via EchoSciences Pays de Loire (Live Twitch, 2024, in French)

Useful links:

• Web of Science: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/J-7140-2018
• ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8387-494X
• Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MmMiDhMAAAAJ&hl=en
• Researchgate: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Simon_Pascal
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-pascal
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/pascalsci.bsky.social