Martin Rieu
R&D Engineer · Physicist, PhD
Optics, instrumentation and system integration. Scientific background covering physics, biochemistry and quantitative analysis.
Currently at Optrion, Belgium: optical inspection, non-destructive testing, and robotic integration.
Previously at ENS Paris and Oxford: single-molecule biophysics and precision measurement.
Technical expertise
Optics & precision measurement
Microscopy, interferometry, polarisation and single-particle tracking.
Optics & precision measurement
Microscopy, interferometry, polarisation and single-particle tracking.
Design, assembly and alignment of optical systems. Microscopy, interferometry and precision measurement; calibration, image noise analysis and data interpretation.
Quantitative analysis
Statistical inference, physical modelling and noisy experimental data.
Quantitative analysis
Statistical inference, physical modelling and noisy experimental data.
Maximum-likelihood estimation, hidden Markov models, mixture models, Fourier analysis, image processing and time-series analysis. Evaluating model assumptions, measurement uncertainty and the information supported by the data.
Technical project coordination
Specifications, partner coordination, integration and delivery.
Technical project coordination
Specifications, partner coordination, integration and delivery.
Defining technical requirements, coordinating external partners and managing interfaces between hardware, software and experimental systems. Direct involvement in development, testing and delivery.
Instrumentation & software
Sensors, synchronisation, mechanical design and instrument control.
Instrumentation & software
Sensors, synchronisation, mechanical design and instrument control.
Python, C/C++, LabVIEW and Qt/PySide6. Acquisition and control software, robot communication and graphical interfaces. Mechanical design with Fusion 360 and SolidWorks; 3D printing and laser cutting.
Biochemistry & solution chemistry
Proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and solution chemistry.
Biochemistry & solution chemistry
Proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and solution chemistry.
Solution and surface chemistry, pH, ionic conditions, redox chemistry, microfluidics and soft matter. Experience with membrane-protein and helicase purification; DNA/RNA preparation, cloning, PCR, mutagenesis and bacterial culture. Liposomes, proteoliposomes and ATPase assays.
Background
R&D engineer
Optrion · Belgium
Optical inspection systems, technical development and project coordination.
Human Frontier Research Fellow
University of Oxford
Molecular motors, optical instrumentation and experimental biophysics. Human Frontier Science Program postdoctoral fellowship.
PhD in biophysics
École normale supérieure · Paris
High-resolution magnetic tweezers, interferometry and molecular binding measurements.
Master’s in fundamental physics
École normale supérieure · Paris
Statistical physics and complex systems.
Master’s in environmental economics
Université Paris-Saclay
Additional work on environmental policy at the French Development Agency in Colombia
Earlier research includes statistical analysis of immune-repertoire data at Princeton and magnetic-field instrumentation at LNCMI. Teaching experience in optics, statistical physics, thermal systems and microcontroller programming.
Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship, 2022 · Gold medal, International Chemistry Olympiad, Ankara, 2011. · Ranked 5th in the national entrance examination to ENS Paris, 2012.
French · English · German
Selected work
Industry & research01Optrion
R&D development: non-destructive testing
R&D project management at Optrion, a small Belgian company, covering customer-driven development and publicly funded research.
Optrion
R&D development: non-destructive testing
R&D project management at Optrion, a small Belgian company, covering customer-driven development and publicly funded research.
- Coordination and technical implementation of customer-specific product adaptations: collaboration with robotics integrators, iterative software development, and supervision of electronic and mechanical redesign.
- Non-destructive testing and on-site measurement of composite structures.
- Agile approach to changing requirements and on-time delivery within a very small company.
- Reporting for publicly funded R&D projects.
Optrion website02University of Oxford
Molecular motors: optical measurement and membrane biochemistry
Experimental research on bacterial rotary motors, combining optical instrumentation, protein biochemistry and quantitative analysis. Recipient of a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship.
University of Oxford
Molecular motors: optical measurement and membrane biochemistry
Experimental research on bacterial rotary motors, combining optical instrumentation, protein biochemistry and quantitative analysis. Recipient of a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship.
- Development of a polarisation microscope using gold nanorods to track molecular rotation at microsecond timescales.
- Optical alignment, sample preparation, acquisition software and signal processing.
- Liposome preparation, membrane-protein reconstitution into lipid bilayers and proteoliposome biochemistry.
- Statistical analysis of rotational dynamics from measurements acquired at 250 kHz.
- Fluorescence measurements and ATPase activity assays.
Nature Communications · 202603École normale supérieure
Three-dimensional tracking below the nanometre
Development of Stereo Darkfield Interferometry for precision measurement and single-molecule experiments.
École normale supérieure
Three-dimensional tracking below the nanometre
Development of Stereo Darkfield Interferometry for precision measurement and single-molecule experiments.
- Microscopy setup development and alignment.
- Development of signal-processing methods and theoretical analysis of tracking precision.
- Design and execution of biological experiments.
- Application to single-molecule force spectroscopy and cell tracking, with parallel three-dimensional measurements at subnanometre precision.
Science Advances · 202104École normale supérieure
Measuring molecular binding without fluorescence
Development of kinetic locking, a magnetic-tweezers method for quantifying protein–nucleic-acid interactions without fluorescent labels.
École normale supérieure
Measuring molecular binding without fluorescence
Development of kinetic locking, a magnetic-tweezers method for quantifying protein–nucleic-acid interactions without fluorescent labels.
- Design and preparation of nucleic-acid constructs for single-molecule assays.
- Development of experimental protocols for detecting protein binding through the mechanical response of individual molecules.
- Acquisition and analysis of single-molecule time series.
- Statistical inference of binding kinetics and quantitative interpretation of molecular interactions.
Communications Biology · 2021Selected publications
- 2026Heterogeneity and multi-scale dynamics in the molecular bearing of the bacterial flagellum
Nature Communications · First author
- 2022A new class of biological ion-driven rotary molecular motors with 5:2 symmetry
Frontiers in Microbiology · Review · Equal first-author contribution
- 2021Single-molecule kinetic locking allows fluorescence-free quantification of protein/nucleic-acid binding
Communications Biology · First author
- 2021Parallel, linear, and subnanometric 3D tracking of microparticles with Stereo Darkfield Interferometry
Science Advances · First author