On 17 July, Amal successfully defended her PhD thesis in mathematics, which she undertook at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) as part of the ‘100 PhDs for Africa’ programme. Her research focuses on the links between mean-field games and multi-agent models for the study and simulation of complex systems.Amal Machtalay’s PhD thesis, entitled ‘Bridging mean-field games and multi-agent models via Markov chain aggregation’, focuses on micro-macro models that enable a better understanding of complex systems such as cell populations, crowd dynamics, social behaviour and traffic flows. Supervised by Professors Ahmed Ratnani (UM6P) and Daniel Kressner (EPFL), she explored the links between different modelling scales and developed numerical methods suited to large-scale problems.Applications to traffic modelling and optimal controlAn initial line of research led to the development of a multi-class traffic model capable of representing different behaviours of drivers and autonomous vehicles. By combining macroscopic and microscopic approaches, her work enabled the study of a system’s dynamics at different scales and allowed the comparison of numerical results with the theoretical properties of mean-field game models. This research notably resulted in a publication in 2025 in Transportation Research Part B: Methodological. Another part of her thesis focuses on the efficient numerical solution of high-dimensional Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equations, used in particular in optimal control problems. Amal Machtalay investigated methods that exploit the mathematical structure of these equations, notably through low-rank approximations and parallel computing techniques.Expertise that opens up new avenuesHer work has also explored the use of deep learning to solve mean-field control problems related to optimal transport, involving the development and evaluation of several approaches based on neural networks. Through these various contributions, his doctoral research illustrates the richness of the collaborations between UM6P and EPFL and the way in which mathematical research can contribute to the analysis of complex problems. We offer him our warmest congratulations on this important milestone and wish him every success in his future scientific career.Amal's thesis defence © 2026 EPFLAmal's thesis defence © 2026 EPFLAmal's thesis defence © 2026 EPFLFunding100 PhDs for Africa is a programme stemming from the “Excellence in Africa” initiative developed by UM6P and the EXAF Centre (EPFL).