Learn through research with Idil
Since the start of the 2022 academic year, nearly 80 students have had the opportunity to gain research experience through the graduate program Idil. The program features courses taught in English, hands-on lab experience, and various teaching units that foster a multidisciplinary approach to education, designed to address today’s societal challenges. We spoke with Agnès-Fichard Carroll and Mathieu Sicard, the program’s co-directors, to learn more.
The Idil tracks were launched at the start of the 2022 academic year. What does this program entail?
Mathieu Sicard: The goal of the Idil program is to train students from various disciplines through laboratory-based learning. Students spend six months a year in the lab; courses are taught in English, and the programs focus on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Idil also aims to increase the number of international students at the University of Montpellier by making its programs more attractive.
Agnès Fichard-Carroll: The challenge was to develop a program that strongly emphasized interdisciplinarity while remaining grounded in a specific major: students will graduate with a degree in a specific major but will have followed a personalized path in which exposure to other disciplines and their concepts is a key component.
Now that we’re starting the second academic year with Idil, can you tell us how many students are enrolled in this graduate program?
MS: Regarding the master’s programs, approximately 80 students are enrolled in the Idil program during their first and second years of master’s study, across 10 tracks and an equal number of different academic specializations. As for the engineering track, it involves more than 20 students. The goal was to have 30% international students who had not previously studied in France, which is a requirement for receiving an Idil scholarship: this goal has been met, thanks in large part to Idil’s presence at international fairs. Today, we have students from the U.S., Japan, and Brazil who are reaching out to us for information about the program and to find out how to apply.
Do you have a typical profile of Idil students?
MS: Overall, we are looking for students who are truly motivated by learning through laboratory research and who possess a strong ability to adapt—a skill that is essential for pursuing an international and interdisciplinary program. For example, they must be able to manage the shared components across different tracks by consulting with the Idil team, which supports them. Students must be flexible in organizing their schedules, as conflicts are bound to arise. It is impossible to coordinate the schedules of 10 programs across 5 different departments.
AFC: I would like to add that while students need to be curious and flexible, the program—due to its cross-departmental nature—has also required a significant commitment not only from the teaching staff but also from the administrative teams: it was necessary to refine both the academic curriculum and the specific procedures of each academic unit. This is an opportunity for us to congratulate them on the work they have accomplished: the difficulties have been smoothed out, and this inevitably has a positive impact on the students’ academic journey.
Speaking of which, how are students supported throughout their academic journey?
AFC: There is already an IDIL team of four people—a project manager, two instructional designers, and an administrative manager—who are doing a remarkable job supporting both students and the teams at headquarters and in the various departments.
MS: In addition to the Idil team, students are supported by two experienced researchers: a tutor and a mentor. The academic advisor is present only during the first year of the master’s program; they are essentially a Professor guides students in selecting their coursework, complementing their laboratory immersion. They also support students with their first-year master’s thesis, a bibliographic and methodological project that prepares them for laboratory immersion.
And what is the mentor's role?
MS: The mentor, who works with students in the first and second years of the master’s program, is a researcher or a Professor a research focus; they supervise the student in their laboratory, much like a traditional internship but in a more in-depth format. Not only in terms of duration—since in the first year of the master’s program, Idil students spend six months in the lab—but also in terms of commitment, as this internship is not merely a research placement but also an immersion in understanding the lab environment: Idil students attend meetings and seminars to gain insight into the life of a researcher. Beyond that, the mentor also commits to deepening the student’s general knowledge of their discipline, particularly through guided readings of articles accompanied by dedicated discussion sessions. This helps to supplement the student’s general knowledge of their field within the laboratory setting. In fact, the mentor’s work is recognized as equivalent to 20 hours of tutorial time—not for supervising the internship, but for teaching right at the heart of the laboratory.
Does the student keep the same mentor during their first and second years of graduate school?
MS: That’s entirely possible, since students can potentially stay in the same lab during their first and second years of the master’s program, and why not continue there for a PhD, given that Idil doctoral contracts are available.
AFC: Indeed, a student could remain in the same laboratory for up to five years. Since the IDIL program is research-based, it made sense for it to include doctoral contracts that share this interdisciplinary nature.
How are student-mentor pairs formed?
MS: At the beginning of the year, during the interdisciplinary summer school, the mentors will present their research projects and the students will be able to choose. This marks the start of the program; every evening during the summer school, there are interdisciplinary lectures, such as “management and ecology,” “science policy and political science,” and so on. These lectures are given in English, primarily by researchers from Montpellier but also by invited international researchers. It is a very interesting time when all backgrounds come together and everyone asks questions from different perspectives, origins, and areas of expertise. There is also a “team-building” day where Idil students participate in activities designed to foster integration. This summer school concludes with a gala at the Jardin des Plantes.
Does this summer school help students identify more closely with Idil and "feel" like part of it?
MS: Yes, that’s important because during the year they mostly spend time with students in their own disciplines! To help them feel a sense of belonging to the Idil graduate program, there’s also a year-round activity called the “Idil House Cup.” Idil students from different tracks are grouped into different houses and participate in challenges, such as collecting as much trash as possible on the beaches, or visiting the Moco, which is also a way for them to discover cultural elements. The IDIL team also organizes events at least once a month that allow them to get together.