Jean-Michel Morel
Chair Professor in Data Science, Lingnan University
Chair Professor in Data Science, Lingnan University
Research
At ENS Paris Saclay, Jean-Michel Morel has led a team of 30 researchers on the mathematical analysis of image processing and the invention of new algorithms. This team has collaborated with French Space Agency for the design of Earth observation satellites (SPOT5, Pleiades, CSO, SMOS-HR). The image denoising algorithms co-invented by JMM are implemented in more than 700 million cameraphones by DxO Labs, a world leader in software and hardware for cameras. In 2011 JMM founded Image Processing on Line (www.ipol.im), the first journal publishing reproducible algorithms in online executable articles. IPOL has collaborators in 15 universities and its public archives contain 500000 online experiments.
JMM’s recent awards: 2010 Clay Scholar in Residence, European Research Council advanced grant 2010, Grand Prix INRIA – French Academy of Science 2013, CNRS Médaille de l'innovation 2015, Doctor Honoris Causa of U. de la Republica Montevideo 2018.
Jean-Michel Morel has been in turn a PhD student at Université Paris IV, a postdoc at SISSA (Trieste, Italy), a teaching assistant at Université de Marseille Luminy, an assistant professor at Université Paris Dauphine, and is currently a professor at Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay. He has also been for 20 years a permanent visiting professor at Universitat Illes Balears , and a recurrent invited professor at University of California at Los Angeles and at Duke University. His main interests are the mathematical theory and the algorithms of image analysis and image processing. In September 2023, he has joined CityU as chair professor in imaging science. In October 2025, he has taken up a Chair professor position in Data Science at Lingnan University.
Jean-Michel Morel is a mathematician trained in nonlinear analysis with a PhD and a doctorat d’état on partial differential equations and variational methods under the guidance of Haïm Brezis. Then he developed an axiomatic theory of image analysis to derive and analyze the new PDEs and variational models arising in these fields. Working on the efficient numerical implementation of these algorithms, he has progressively become a specialist of image processing, and has invented several algorithms now widespread in software and hardware. He is the initiator of nonlocal methods in image processing. Interested in image analysis as well, he has proposed a statistical theory of perception inspired from Gestalt theory and psychophysics. This theory has also found many applications for the automatic detection of objects in images and video. In recent years, he has focused on the technological, methodological and editorial changes in applied mathematics required by the development of the web, namely the possibility to publish algorithms in online executable form. This led him to found IPOL (image processing online, www.ipol.im.
To complete his exploration of images, Jean-Michel Morel proposes to develop mathematical models to classify the space of perceptual images. He uses computer graphics techniques to build image synthesis algorithms to explore abstract textures, shapes and images, and to develop a computational theory of decorative and abstract art.
Industrial collaboration
JMM and team not only develops theories, but also accompanies their long term development and applications.The team has collaborated with the French Space Agency (CNES) on the conception of Earth observation satellites, with the major US satellite make Planet on the image processing chain of its constellations, with DxO labs (a world leader in image processing) on image denoising, with Huawei for the next generation mobile phones, with Agence France Presse and the French Scientific police on the detection of tampered image and video, with Kayrros on the automatic exploitation of earth observation optical and SAR satellites to detect oil & gas activities and methane and CO2 emission sources, with Tarkett (a major floor maker) to design natural looking textures, currently with Chow Sang Sang on defect detection in diamonds.
The overall average of the obtained research funds through competitive calls, grants and industrial contracts by JMM's team between 2013 and 2023 has amounted to 1,100,000€ per year.