(Newsletter #16) Surprising research... really?

What do quantum physics, a family-run sawmill, drug trafficking and animal pheromones have in common?

If we say ‘our business school’, you'll think we're talking nonsense. And yet... our professors are indeed working on these topics!

In line with the school's strategic priorities, they have complete freedom in their research, as their role is to train curious minds equipped to explore an incredible variety of professions and inform as many people as possible, including executives, journalists and citizens.

Essentially, it is this accessible and ongoing dialogue with intellectuals who have ‘somewhat atypical careers in an institution, EDHEC, which is itself quite atypical’* that is emerging.

This month, we have brought together some of the scientific work that may seem surprising at first glance but which, once you understand their method and contribution, reveal themselves for what they are: an exploration of ideas – in space and time, a ‘thought experiment’, a new perspective on the world around us.

Don't forget that all these articles are available in French on edhec.edu.

Happy reading!

* Quote taken from the interview with Lionel Martellini, which you can find directly below.

4 questions to Lionel Martellini about his research in finance and... in astrophysics and quantum physics!

An interview with Lionel Martellini - Professor at EDHEC and Senior Advisor at the EDHEC Climate Institute

A PhD in finance (Berkeley) & a PhD in astrophysics (Nice). How did you develop these two passions?

Since my earliest childhood, I have always been deeply fascinated by the unreasonable efficacity of mathematical abstractions in accounting for the physical phenomena of the real world. ‘The great book of nature is written in the language of mathematics,’ said Galileo, and one cannot help but marvel at the mystery of the ability of the finite human mind to decipher even a few fragments of this immense book... Read this interview

Too poor to get social housing?

By Aziza Laguecir - Professor at EDHEC, and Bryant A. Hudson - Professor at IESEG

Can you be too poor to get social housing? Intrigued by the fact that the most disadvantaged populations have very limited access to social housing in France - as shown in a report jointly commissioned by six French NGOs - the authors sought to understand why. What they discovered is the role played by the Performance Measurement and Management Accounting Systems (PMS and MAS), as a way to reproduce the stigmatisation of the underprivileged... Read this article

[Case by case #10] Teaching strategy and finance using Vaumont, a family-owned sawmill

An interview with David Dalmasso - Associate Professor at EDHEC, Deputy Head of faculty 'Data Science, Economics & Finance', and Martial Bombrault - IRIIG Pedagogical Director

Why did you choose a small family business in the wood industry?

M. Bombrault: The Vaumont case is actually inspired by my own personal history. My father ran a sawmill in Sologne. He eventually sold the technical side of the business, but our family kept the land. So it's a sector I know well, and one that's relevant because, unlike large corporations, it introduces many variables that are found in family businesses... Read this interview

5 questions to Ludovic Cailluet about his research on the history of businesses

An interview with Ludovic Cailluet - Professor at EDHEC, Associate Dean, EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship

Why are you interested in historical subjects?

I am primarily interested in it because historical research is my profession. I studied history, which led me to a doctoral thesis in business history as part of a CIFRE agreement within the Pechiney group, a metallurgical company that no longer exists. Having become a professor of management science, I continued to take an interest in historical subjects because they allow in-depth multidimensional research thanks to access to archival data and retrospective interviews... Read this interview

From ants to AI: solving complex logistics challenges with nature-inspired algorithms and machine learning

By Cédric Verbeeck - Assistant Professor at EDHEC and Director of the MSc in Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence

In a new area, ants wander until one finds a food source, leaving pheromone trails that guide others. These trails are reinforced more quickly on shorter paths, making them more attractive. This natural feedback loop helps ant colonies optimize their foraging routes efficiently. This collective problem-solving behavior has inspired the scientific field of Ant Colony Optimization - including the author of this paper - which mimics ant strategies to tackle complex logistical challenges... Read this article

4 questions to Bertrand Monnet on criminal risks

An interview with Bertrand Monnet – Professor holder of the EDHEC Criminal Risks Management Chair

Why do you think it's essential to train as many students as possible in criminal risks?

The impact of the criminal economy on the legal economy may seem exotic, but the reality in which our students will be working is, unfortunately, very different... Last year, cyber attacks cost the global economy 8,000 billion dollars, the dirty money laundered through legal businesses and financial markets is estimated by the IMF to be between 800 and 2,700 billion dollars a year, or 1 to 3% of global GDP, internal fraud costs a company an average of 5% of its revenues... Read this interview

Hager Jemel-Fornetty : « Our test assesses sexism in video games for the first time: the results are indisputable »

An interview with Hager Jemel-Fornetty - Associate Professor at EDHEC, Director of the Diversity & Inclusion Chair, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies

Why take an interest in gender issues in video games?

In 2023, over 3.75 billion people played video games, which outstrip all other cultural productions in terms of audience. We believe it is essential to take an interest in their narratives and characters, in particular, by analysing them as producers and amplifiers of bias, gender stereotypes and therefore sexism. Because in one way or another [...] these games influence our representations and our behaviour... Read this interview

Illustration (header) 2025 - Anne Moreau