Who are we ?

Stéphane VAUDEZ and Méryl BROTHIER are the co inventors of CRYSTTAL technology and co-founders of the company of the same name.

CRYSTTAL appeared at a time when there had been no major innovation for several decades in the field of industrial grinding, since the invention of the JET MILL in 1954

8 years of research

From 2014 onwards, Stéphane Vaudez and Méryl Brothier, two CEA researchers, developed a new grinding technology and new grinding equipments to meet an industrial need arising from difficulties in the production process of new nuclear fuel using powder metallurgy. The exceptional results generated opportunities for non-nuclear application and the creation of CRYSTTAL. The 8 years of R&D within the CEA laboratories have enabled us to acquire fundamental data to consolidate our understanding of the phenomena involved in micronization.

The expertise and know-how of Stéphane Vaudez and Méryl Brothier are now in the best interests of CRYSTTAL. To embark on this adventure, Stephane and Meryl broadened their management skills, in particular through the HEC Challenge + whose they were awarded

Founders

Stéphane VAUDEZ

Co-founder, chairman and director
Senior materials expert
PhD in condensed matter and physics-chemistry of condensed matter

“Until I co-founded CRYSTTAL, I had spent my entire career at the CEA in the field of powder metallurgy. Over a period of 25 years, I developed expertise in the influence of processing parameters of powders and materials, working in particular on the development of new fuels and manufacturing processes. From a very clear vision of the performance and the manufacturing constraints that I decided to extrapolate my knowledge to industry. My ambition with CRYSTTAL is to remove technological barriers”.

Stéphane VAUDEZ is a creative, pragmatic and rigorous engineer who combines a capacity for innovation with a taste for industrial application. Author of 40 scientific papers, he has designed 15 prototypes that have been tried and tested in severe environments (nuclear, high and low temperatures (-200°C to +1700°C). Stéphane is widely recognized for his ability to design and implement complex industrial equipments. He has been working on the development of CRYSTTAL since 2014, initially on nuclear fuel, then on other applications from 2020. He is co-inventor of 17 patents, including 10 patents protecting CRYSTTAL.

Méryl BROTHIER

Co-founder and strategic and innovation advisor
Research Director
Doctor in chemistry-physics and qualified to supervise research projects

In addition to his research activities, Méry Brothier has spent more than 10 years managing various R&D teams (as head of laboratory, then head of department with 50 permanent employees). He has led several major projects, including the ANR’s GALACSY project (3M€) and the transfer of research laboratories (15M€). He is co-inventor of more than 40 international patents, including those filed for CRYSTTAL and was awarded Knight of the Academic Palm.
Méryl is also currently Deputy Regional Academic Delegate for Research and Innovation for the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Region.

Le comité stratégique

4 people from different backgrounds bring their vision and experience to CRYSTTAL.

Philippe MACKIEWICZ

Vice President (Retired) of Sanofi for active ingredients
Specialist of the Pharmaceutical Industry using micronizer

35 years’ experience in the production of End User active ingredients End User Micronizer

Edith LECOMTE

Founder of a pharmaceutical start-up
GMP expert
International experience Pharma LABORATORY/FACTORY

Pharma entrepreneurship Setting up a pharmaceutical laboratory Industrialization / Production / OEM / Quality / GMP

Pascal PRINDERRE

Aggregated professor

20 years’ experience in the research industry, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. He has developed skills in research and development (S&D), validation, standard operating procedure (SOP) and drug administration.

Pascal GARNIER

Ex Director of NETZSCH France (Grinding)
Ex Manager HOZOKAWA (Grinding)
International Business

35 years’ experience in the production of powders and micronizers Design and sale of micronization services and sale of micronizers