Where ultrafast photons meet quantum matter — predictive simulations of what light does to a solid in the first femtoseconds.
Senior Researcher & Group Leader Institute of Physics (FZU), Czech Academy of Sciences · IT4Innovations, VSB-TU Ostrava
📍 Prague, Czech Republic · ✉️ thibault.derrien@fzu.cz · ☎️ +420 702 174 405
Thibault J.-Y. Derrien leads computational groups in Ultrafast Photonics at FZU and Quantum Dynamics of Systems at the IT4Innovations Laboratory of Quantum Computing. His work bridges classical descriptions of intense laser–matter interaction with time-dependent quantum many-body theory (TDDFT, DFTB, QED) to predict how solids respond to ultrashort light pulses — from photoionization and band-structure dressing to nano-structuring and surface modification.
He earned his Ph.D. in 2012 at Aix-Marseille University (mention Très honorable) on the numerical study of nanostructuring of photovoltaic cells by ultrashort pulses. As Adolf Martens Fellow at BAM Berlin (mentor: Dr. Jörn Bonse) he advanced the theory of laser-induced periodic surface structures. A Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (QuantumLaP, 2015–2017) brought him to the group of Prof. N. M. Bulgakova in Prague, and a post-doctoral stay at the Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter (Hamburg) with Prof. Angel Rubio extended his methods into many-body QED.
Today he supervises Ph.D. students and post-docs, hosts MSCA-RISE visitors, regularly secures PRACE/DECI and IT4I HPC allocations, and serves as Associate Editor at Optics Express. A featured 2025 publication in Physical Review Letters on attosecond control of solid-state high-harmonic generation was cited by Nobel laureate Prof. Anne L'Huillier.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Publications | 35 |
| h-index (WoS) | 13 |
| Patents (CZ / EP) | 2 |
| Talks · invited | ~18 · 8 |
| MSCA-RISE (lead author) | 840 k€ |
| HPC core-hours allocated | 37M+ |
| When | Role |
|---|---|
| Since 2025 | Senior Researcher & Group Leader, Ultrafast Photonics — FZU, Division of Optics |
| Since 2024 | Senior Researcher & Group Leader, Quantum Dynamics of Systems — IT4Innovations / VSB-TU Ostrava |
| 2021–2024 | Group Leader, Ultrafast Photonics, HiLASE Centre (FZU); MSCA-RISE ATLANTIC main contact |
| 2018–2019 | Post-doc, Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter (Hamburg) — Prof. A. Rubio |
| 2015–2017 | Principal Investigator, MSCA-IF QuantumLaP — Prof. N. M. Bulgakova |
| 2013–2014 | Adolf Martens Research Fellow, BAM Berlin — Dr. Jörn Bonse |
| 2012 | Ph.D., Materials Physics & Nanosciences — Aix-Marseille University |
Ultrafast laser–matter interaction. Predictive multiscale modeling of femtosecond pulse propagation, energy absorption, and material modification in semiconductors, metals, and dielectrics — from photoionization to surface nano-structuring.
Quantum dynamics & TDDFT. First-principles time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT), DFTB and QED descriptions of strongly driven solids — transient Wannier-Stark ladders, high-harmonic generation, polaritonic device concepts.
HPC & scientific computing. Author of parallel research codes (Fortran, C, Python). Daily user of Top500 systems across DE, CZ, PL, PT. Secretary of the IT4I Users Council; PI on multiple PRACE/DECI & IT4I OpenAccess projects (37M+ core-hours).
| Status | Years | Project | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Active | 2025–2028 | Q-NEKO | EU / Digital programme |
| 🟢 Active | 2024– | OPJAK Sendiso | CZ national consolidation |
| ⚪ Completed | 2019–2024 | MSCA-RISE ATLANTIC | 840 k€, 14 partners — proposal main author, WP leader |
| ⚪ Completed | 2015–2017 | MSCA-IF QuantumLaP | 142.7 k€, Principal Investigator |
| Code | What it does | Stack |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus_slabs | TDDFT of laser-driven slabs; companion photo-ionization database | TDDFT · Fortran · MPI |
| FLAPS2D | Macroscopic simulation of structured nanomaterials | Fortran 95 · 2D/3D · OpenMP |
| FLIRT1D | Macroscopic silicon predictive tool for flat samples | C / C++ · 1D / 2D |
| Plasmonic toolkit | SPP lifetimes & LIPSS prediction; experimental LIPSS database | Python · NumPy · Linux/Win |
- 🌟 A. Gindl, P. Suthar, F. Trojánek, P. Malý, T. Derrien, M. Kozák — Attosecond Control of Solid-State High Harmonic Generation Using ω−3ω Fields. Physical Review Letters 134, 176903 (2025). — PRL Editor's Suggestion · cited by Prof. Anne L'Huillier (Nobel laureate)
- A. Bertoni, T. Derrien, C. Sánchez — Density Functional-Based Tight Binding. In Density Functional Theory (Ed. A. E. Kuznetsov), book chapter.
- P. Suthar, F. Trojánek, P. Malý, T. Derrien, M. Kozák — Momentum-dependent intraband high harmonic generation in a photodoped indirect semiconductor. Communications Physics 7, 104 (2024).
- M. Zukershtein, V. P. Zhukov, T. Derrien, O. Fedotova, N. M. Bulgakova — Double-pulse-laser volumetric modification of fused silica. Optics Express 32, 12882–12891 (2024).
- T. Derrien, Y. Levy, N. M. Bulgakova — Insights into Laser-Matter Interaction from Inside. Springer Series in Materials Science 239, 1–61 (2023). — Book chapter
- J. Sládek, K. Hlinomaz, M. I. Mirza, Y. Levy, T. Derrien, et al. — Highly Regular LIPSS on Thin Molybdenum Films. Materials 16, 2883 (2023).
- K. Hlinomaz, Y. Levy, T. Derrien, N. M. Bulgakova — Modeling thermal response of Mo thin films upon single femtosecond laser irradiation. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 196, 123292 (2022).
- J. Sládek, Y. Levy, T. Derrien, Z. Bryknar, N. M. Bulgakova — Silicon surface patterning by regular stripes of LIPSS. Applied Surface Science 605 (2022).
- P. Suthár, F. Trojánek, P. Malý, T. Derrien, M. Kozák — Role of Van Hove singularities and effective mass anisotropy in polarization-resolved HHG of silicon. Communications Physics 5, 288 (2022).
- 🌟 T. Derrien, N. Tancogne-Dejean, V. P. Zhukov, H. Appel, A. Rubio, N. M. Bulgakova — Photoionization and transient Wannier-Stark ladder in silicon: First-principles simulations versus Keldysh theory. Physical Review B 104, L241201 (2021). — Web of Science Top 1% · Highly Cited
2020 — 2016 · click to expand
- K. A. Drogowska-Horna, M. I. Mirza, A. Rodriguez, P. Kovaříček, J. Sládek, T. Derrien, et al. — Periodic surface functional group density on graphene via laser-induced substrate patterning at Si/SiO₂ interface. Nano Research 13, 2332–2339 (2020).
- A. V. Dostovalov, T. Derrien, S. A. Lizunov, et al. — LIPSS on thin metallic films: multiplicity of laser-excited electromagnetic modes. Applied Surface Science 476, 1–28 (2019).
- K. Hlinomaz, Y. Levy, T. Derrien, N. M. Bulgakova — Modeling the melting threshold of Mo films upon ultrashort laser irradiation. MM Science Journal Dec. 2019.
- A. V. Dostovalov, T. Derrien, V. P. Korolkov, S. A. Babin, N. M. Bulgakova — Multiplicity of Laser-Excited Electromagnetic Modes in LIPSS Formation on Thin Metallic Films. CLEO 2019.
- S. Gräf, C. Kunz, S. Engel, T. Derrien, F. A. Müller — Femtosecond LIPSS on Fused Silica: Impact of Initial Substrate Temperature. Materials 11, 1340 (2018).
- A. V. Dostovalov, T. Derrien, F. Přeučil, et al. — The role of surface plasmon polaritons in highly-regular LIPSS on Cr films. J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1092 (2018).
- M. V. Shugaev, M. He, S. A. Lizunov, Y. Levy, T. Derrien, et al. — Insights into Laser-Materials Interaction Through Modeling on Atomic and Macroscopic Scales. Springer SMS 274, Ch. 5 (2018). — Book chapter
- T. Derrien, N. M. Bulgakova — Modeling of silicon in femtosecond laser-induced modification regimes: ambipolar diffusion. Proc. SPIE 10228 (2017).
- M. V. Shugaev, C. Wu, O. Armbruster, T. Derrien, et al. — Fundamentals of ultrafast laser-material interaction. MRS Bulletin 41, 960–968 (2017).
- S. Maragkaki, T. Derrien, Y. Levy, N. M. Bulgakova, A. Ostendorf, E. L. Gurevich — Wavelength dependence of picosecond LIPSS on copper. Applied Surface Science 417, 88–92 (2017).
- 🌟 I. Gnilitskyi, T. Derrien, Y. Levy, N. M. Bulgakova, T. Mocek, L. Orazi — High-speed manufacturing of highly regular fs-LIPSS: physical origin of regularity. Scientific Reports 7, 8485 (2017). — Web of Science Top 1% · Highly Cited
- Y. Levy, T. Derrien, N. M. Bulgakova, E. L. Gurevich, T. Mocek — Relaxation dynamics of femtosecond-laser-induced temperature modulation. Applied Surface Science 374, 157–164 (2016).
- T. Derrien, J. Krüger, J. Bonse — Properties of surface plasmon polaritons on lossy materials. Journal of Optics 18, 115007 (2016).
Full bibliography on Google Scholar · ORCID · Presentations and posters with DOI on Figshare.
- Associate Editor, Optics Express (Optica Publishing Group) — since Nov 2019
- Collection Advisor, Advances in Photonics — Open Research Europe
- Editorial Board Member, Discover Condensed Matter (Springer Nature)
- Proposal Decision Panel, NFFA.eu research infrastructure — 2024–2025
- Secretary, IT4I Users Council — since 2021
- Habilitated Supervisor, Czech Technical University (ČVUT), Prague
- Method of ultrafast laser writing of highly-regular periodic structures on metallic materials — Czech IP Office, PV 2016-424
- Method of ultrafast laser writing of highly-regular periodic structures on metallic materials — European Patent Office, WO18010707
📄 Download full CV (PDF, April 2026)
Complete academic record: education, professional appointments, professional visits and teaching, honors and awards, patents, metrics, funding, service, and computational allocations.
| ✉️ FZU | thibault.derrien@fzu.cz |
| ✉️ IT4I / VSB | thibault.derrien@vsb.cz |
| ☎️ Phone | +420 702 174 405 |
| 📍 Address | Náměstí Bratří Synků 400/12, 140 00 Prague 4, CZ |
| 🎥 Virtual room | webmeeting.fzu.cz/b/der-kva-wjf |
Off-duty: drummer in a jazz/funk quintet — ~25 concerts/year. Karate · cycling · Alpe-Adria.
© Thibault J.-Y. Derrien · MMXXVI · Prague, CZ