About us
IITAE Medical Research is a startup that aims to push the limits of the observable world. It was co-founded by Ph.D. researchers from ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab.
The creation of ITAE Medical Research was supported by Onera through the Impulsion program.
Dr. Xavier Orlik, HDR
President
Dr. Elise Colin, HDR
Dr. Aurélien Plyer
Dr. Xavier Orlik
Pioneering Real-Time Microcirculation Imaging through Polarimetric Techniques
Dr. Xavier Orlik is a recognized expert in polarimetric imaging, random electromagnetic fields, and biomedical optics. As CEO and research director, he leads the development of a cutting-edge medical imaging system capable of real-time visualization of microcirculation—an innovation poised to transform non-invasive optical diagnostics.
He holds two Master of Science degrees: one in Electromagnetism (National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse, 1997), and another in Radiophysics and Medical Imaging (Paul Sabatier University & Rangueil University Hospital, 2008). In 2001, he earned his Ph.D. from the National Institute of Materials Physics in Pisa, Italy, where he contributed to the European project Near Field Optics for Nanotechnology, focusing on atomic force microscopy and near-field optical imaging of ferroelectric materials. He subsequently designed a cold atom trap during his postdoctoral fellowship at Onera Palaiseau (2001–2003).
Joining Onera Toulouse in 2003 as a research engineer, Dr. Orlik conducted pioneering work on dynamic optical speckle, polarimetric analysis, and random optical field modeling. In 2012, he obtained his Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) from Toulouse University, with a thesis on adapted polarimetry, optical speckle fields, and near-field optics for surface characterization. He was promoted to Research Director in 2022.
His contributions to medical imaging have been recognized by the French Physical Cancer Plan (Inserm, 2014–2019), particularly for his work on polarized random field techniques in microvascular imaging. He is the inventor of four international patents, including two dedicated to real-time microvascularization imaging using dynamic polarized optical speckle fields.
Since 2022, Dr. Orlik has also been actively involved in advanced academic teaching. At École Polytechnique (Palaiseau), he lectures on electromagnetism, optical speckle, and biomedical imaging; at ISAE-SUPAERO (Toulouse), he leads tutorials in quantum physics, statistical physics, and radiative transfer.
Dr. Elise Colin
Bridging Coherent Imaging, AI, and Scientific Culture
Dr. Elise Colin is a research director whose work spans coherent imaging, polarimetry, and artificial intelligence, with applications in Earth observation and advanced remote sensing. Her research combines electromagnetic theory, signal processing, and machine learning to push the frontiers of information extraction from complex imaging data.
She received the Diplôme d’Ingénieur in Electrical Engineering from Supélec and a Master’s degree in Theoretical Physics from the University of Orsay (Paris XI) in 2002. She then obtained a Ph.D. in 2005 from the University of Paris VI, with early contributions focused on the comparative analysis of radar and optical polarimetry. That same year, she joined the Electromagnetics and Radar Division at ONERA, Palaiseau, where she developed pioneering methods in coherent image analysis. In 2013, she moved to the Information Processing Department at ONERA, and earned her Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) from University Paris-Sud (Orsay) in 2014.
Dr. Colin currently leads multiple research programs in remote sensing, focusing on the integration of novel imaging modalities—such as polarimetric time series—with big data analytics and machine learning frameworks. Her recent projects explore the fusion of coherent optical and radar data, emphasizing the use of AI tools in Earth observation.
In late 2024, she served as a Visiting Scientist at ESRIN (European Space Research Institute, ESA) in Frascati, Italy, contributing to collaborative research in polarimetric image processing and innovative Earth Observation missions.
Beyond her scientific career, Dr. Colin is also active in science communication and cultural outreach. In 2022 she was a TEDx speaker at Paris-Saclay, where she presented a talk on the coherence of light, highlighting the philosophical and scientific motivations that led to the founding of ITAE Medical Research.
She is also the author of the science-inspired novel Échos d’en Haut (2025, Sérendip’Éditions), which intertwines narrative fiction with scientific themes, offering a poetic perspective on light, memory, and transmission.
Dr. Aurélien Plyer
Advancing Real-Time Perception and Autonomous Systems through Imaging & AI
Dr. Aurélien Plyer is a researcher in image processing and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on high-efficiency algorithms for real-time video analysis and 3D perception. His work lies at the intersection of signal processing, computer vision, and embedded AI, addressing applications ranging from experimental physics to robotics and aerospace systems.
He earned his engineering degree from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) in 2008 and completed his Ph.D. in Image Processing at Université Paris 13 in 2013. He currently works at the Information Processing and Systems Department at ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab, where he leads research on parallelized vision pipelines and integrated perception systems.
Between 2018 and 2021, Dr. Plyer was seconded to Airbus in Toulouse, where he played a key role in the ATOLL project (Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off and Landing). His algorithmic contributions were central to enabling fully autonomous landings with an Airbus A350-1000, representing a significant milestone in aviation autonomy.
Since 2024, he has been serving as Head of the “Mesure Image Co-design” Research Group at ONERA, where he coordinates interdisciplinary efforts on co-optimized imaging systems, combining sensor design, signal processing, and embedded AI. In parallel, he holds an Associate Professorship in Artificial Intelligence at SaclAI School, Université Paris-Saclay, where he teaches and supervises research in AI for imaging, perception, and real-time data processing. Beyond his core research, Dr. Plyer is actively involved in numerous interdisciplinary working groups exploring emerging uses of AI.