Team SomatoSense

We work on different aspects of touch and somatosensory inputs to the brain. Although grouped into different themes in terms of research focus and methods, we have one shared aim: investigate how external stimuli in contact with the body are transformed into signals interpreted by the brain.

Members of the team:

• Rochelle ACKERLEY - DR CNRS (co-responsible)
• Jean-Marc AIMONETTI - PR AMU (co-responsible)
• Yoh'i ZENNOU-AZOGUI - MCF CE AMU
• Christian XERRI - DR CNRS Emeritus
• Roger H. WATKINS - Research Engineer
• Maria Rosa BUFO - post-doc CNRS ANR UNTOUCH
• Fatemehsadat ABTAHI - post-doc CNRS
• Sarah BONNET - Post-doc CNRS
• Luidgi THRACE - PhD student ANR REMASS
• Dimitra KOKKINOU - PhD student ANR EMOTACT (with L. Mouchnino)
• Fanny SCHANNES - PhD student CIFRE Chanel
• Fatima-Ezzahraa SOUAD - PhD Ecole des Mines (with S. Blayac)
• Victoria LANG - PhD student Univ Goteborg (with J. Wessberg)
• Pierre HALA - PhD student Univ Bristol (with B. Ward-Cherrier)
• Elin AIMONETTI - Masters Neuropsychologie project
• Rebecca ERICSSON - Masters Neuroscience project

Alumni
Edith Ribot-Ciscar (INSERM researcher, retired in 2023)
Sophia Faresse (PhD, post-doc, 2022-2026)
Mariama Dione (post-doc, 2019-2024)
Mathew Peters (Masters 2, 2025)
Heidy Daumas (Masters 2, 2021 & 2022)
Thanh-loan Sarah Le (Masters 2, 2021)
Lisa Raoul (Masters 2, 2019)

Graduated PhDs
Sophia Faresse (defended 2026)
Sarah Bonnet (defended 2026)
Léonard Samain-Aupic (defended 2023)
Elin Eriksson Hagberg (defended 2019, co-supervision Johan Wessberg at University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
 

Funding:
2025-2029 ANR NEUC24 collaborative prject REMASS (R. Ackerley)
2024-2025 L’Oréal collaborative project (JM Aimonetti, R Ackerley)
2024-2025 Chanel collaborative project (JM Aimonetti, R Ackerley)
2023-2026 ANR project Open Research Area (ORA7) for Social Sciences (R Ackerley)
2023-2024 ERC Proof of Concept grant SOMATOSENSE (R Ackerley)
2022-2022 NeuroMarseille Innovative and Collaborative Research Grant ICR+ (R Ackerley)
2021-2022 CNRS - INSIS PEPS "Future Mechanics" collaborative project (JM Aimonetti, R Ackerley)
2020-2022 PHC AURORA France-Norway collaborative project (R Ackerley)
2019-2024 ERC Consolidator grant ARTTOUCH (R Ackerley)
2019-2021 L’Oréal collaborative project (JM Aimonetti, R Ackerley)
2018-2020 Clarins collaborative project (JM Aimonetti)