Clément François

Identifiants chercheurs

IdHAL :

clement-francois

ORCID :

0000-0003-2271-6942

IdRef :

155474146

Présentation

I am a CNRS researcher working in the Laboratoire Parole et Langagein Aix-Marseille University and the Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain.

At the LPL, I am co-head of the &quot;Language and Speech Dynamics&quot; team which focuses on the dynamics of speech and language processing, with a strong interest in the spatiotemporal dimension of language processes taking place at different temporal scales, both intra- and inter-individually.

I completed my Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Aix-Marseille University from 2007 to 2011 under the supervision of Dr. Schön. My Ph.D. research focused on implicit statistical learning of musical and linguistic structures in both musicians and non-musicians. I studied adults and children using behavioral and electrophysiological measures in both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. The results of this work gave rise to several publications in world-leading journals that became reference work in the music and neuroscience community. Importantly, my Ph.D. was part of a large research project supported by the French National Research Agency, led by Dr. Besson, which explored music-induced brain plasticity and transfer of training from music to language. From 2013 to 2018, I did a post-doc at the University of Barcelona with Dr. Rodriguez-Fornells (Cognition and Brain plasticity group, Bellvitge Hospital) and Dr. Bosch (Attention, Perception and Acquisition of Language Lab, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital).

I am currently studying the early development of language learning abilities, from phonological processing to word learning in newborns, infants and toddlers with typical and atypical neurodevelopment. Originally trained in human electrophysiology, my goal is to better understand the early developmental trajectories of language functions using longitudinal studies with multimodal neural and behavioral measures combined with daylong audio recordings.

University studies and diplomas

2024

: Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches, Aix-Marseille University, “Towards an integrated neurodevelopmental model of language acquisition”. Advisor: Benjamin Morillon.

2011

: Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University, “Implicit learning of linguistic and musical structures, a multi-methodological approach”. Advisor: Daniele Schön

2007

: Master's Degree (Health Biology, Neurosciences specialty) Bordeaux II University

2005

: Bachelor's degree (Cellular Biology and Physiopathology, Neurosciences specialty) Bordeaux II University

2003

: Associate's Degree in Cellular Biology and Physiopathology, Bordeaux II University

Project coordination

2026.

Institut Carnot Cognition. Outil de calcul de connectivité fonctionnelle des voies auditives (PI: C. François: 19 k€).

2024.

Fondation de France. Learning to communicate II: investigating the production and comprehension of gestures in 8- to 36-month-old infants (PI: C. François: 130 k€).

2023.

Fondation de France. Learning to communicate I: investigating the production and comprehension of gestures in 8- to 36-month-old infants (PI: C. François: 52 k€).

2020.

ANRJCJC BabyLang. From speech perception to vocabulary acquisition in infancy (PI: C. François: 260 k€).

2020.

80PRIME LangDev. De la perception de la parole chez le bébé à l’acquisition du vocabulaire chez l’enfant, un projet interdisciplinaire. (PI : C. François; L. Prévot; 44 k€ + 1 PhD contract).

2016.

PERIS program.Reorganización estructural y funcional después de un infarto isquémico perinatal en niños de 3 años. (PI: C. François, 75 k€).

2016.

MINECO, Spanish Government. Electrophysiological dynamics of speech segmentation in full-term and moderate preterm infants. (PI: C. François; 33.5 k€).

2013.

FYSSEN foundation. Developmental dynamics of speech and song segmentation in full-term and pre-term neonates: an electrophysiological longitudinal project. (PI: C. François; 50 k€).

Project participation

2025.

ANR-DFG FRAL, STN-brain-speech-seg: Cortical and subcortical activity during speech segmentation: Exploration from simultaneous cortex EEG and subthalamic nucleus LFP in Parkinson’s disease (PIs: S. Pinto, M. Barbe, 650 k€).

2025.

ERC starting, DiverseSounds: How Prenatal Language Experience Shapes Fetal Brain Development and Later Language Learning. A Longitudinal Study. (PI: O. Kepinska, 1.5 m€).

2025.

ANRJCJC, Gestural Speech Perception: Learning to perceive speech by integrating gestural priors with deep learning (PI: T. Schatz, 335 k€).

2019.

ANR2019, From lip- to script-reading: An integrative view of audio-visual associations in language processing. (PI: C. Pattamadilok, 342 k€).

2018.

Sociedad Española de Neuroradiologia. Using fMRI and DTI to predict the success of cochlear implantation in children. (PI: M. Rebollo, 15 k€).

2016.

La Marato-TV3-2016. Playing and Singing for the Recovering Brain: Efficacy of Enriched Social-Motivational Musical Interventions in Stroke Rehabilitation (PIs: Rodriguez-Fornells, T. Särkämö, J.L. Arcos; 399 k€).

2007.

ANR-NEURO, 2007, MUSAPDYS (PI: M. Besson, 375 k€).

Evaluation Activities

Expert for Hong-Kong Univ. Research Grant Council (Areas of Excellence scheme 2026/2027)

Expert HCERES 2024 (GRAMFC lab)

Expert ANR (French National Research Agency) for &quot;Young Researchers&quot; calls.

Expert MINECO (Spanish National Research Agency)

Expert ERC 2018 for Starting grants

Reviewer for journals: Science in Translational Medicine, Imaging Neuroscience, Human Brain Mapping, Developmental Science, Cognition, Communication Psychology, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, European Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, PlosOne, Cerebral Cortex, NeuroImage, NeuroImage Clinical, journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Scientific Reports, Brain and Cognition, Infant Behavior and Development, Neuropsychologia, Brain Research, Biological Psychology, Ear and Hearing, Music Perception, Cognitive and Affective Behavioral Neuroscience, Hearing Research, Language Learning etc...

Ph.D. Supervision

Neus Ramos-Escobar [2016-2021]. Neural signatures of word learning and speech segmentation mechanisms in adults and children, an ERP and oscillatory approach. (co-supervised with Dr. Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells)

Estelle Hervé [2020-2024]. From speech perception to vocabulary acquisition in children. (co-supervised with Prof. Laurent Prévot, 80PRIME CNRS grant)

Giulia Danielou [2022-]. Speech processing and vocabulary learning in infancy. (ANR Babylang)

Marielle Hababou-Bernson [2023-]. Development of word segmentation and form-meaning mapping in Moroccan Arabic learning Infants. (co-supervised with Dr. Isabelle Dautriche, ED356 grant)

Marianne Schweitzer [2025-]. Spoken Dialogue and Language Modeling for the Study Children's Social Language Learning. (co-supervised with Dr. Abdellah Fourtassi, AMIDEX grant)

Post-doc Supervision

Shreejata (Diya) Gupta [2022-]. Tracing the early developmental milestones of empathy through gestures in preverbal infants. (co-supervised with Dr. Isabelle Dautriche, ILCB post-doc grant).

Other Supervision

Enara Garcia [2014]. Master 2 Neuroscience, University of Barcelona

Nagore Navarrete-Herrero [2016]. Master 2 Neuroscience, University of Barcelona

Thibault Beretti [2022]. Master 2 Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University

Lise Tonnellotto [2022]. Master 2 Neurophysiologie et Neurosciences cliniques, Université Toulouse 2

William Rosalen [2023]. Master 2 Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University

Eulalie Pequay [2023]. Master 1 Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University

Lucie Delefosse-Touni [2024]. Master 2 Neuroscience, Aix-Marseille University

Camille Oligeri [2024]. Master 1 Sciences Cognitives, Aix-Marseille University

Jade Mallard [2024]. Master 1 Sciences Cognitives, Aix-Marseille University

Milan Mazas [2025]. Master 2 Sciences Cognitives, Aix-Marseille University

Emilie Noguéra [2026]. Master 2 Sciences Cognitives, Aix-Marseille University

Publications

Article dans une revue (42)

Event-related brain potentials and Frequency Following Response to syllables in newborns and adults G. Danielou,E. Hervé,A. S. Dubarry,B. Desnous,C. François European Journal of Neuroscience, 2026, 63 (3), ⟨10.1111/ejn.70418⟩ Article dans une revue hal-05500465v1
Evidence for a role of memory in novel word-learning after perinatal stroke Clément François,Laura Ferreri,Pablo Ripollés,Alfredo Garcia-Alix,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornellset al. Brain and Language, 2026, 274, pp.105707. ⟨10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105707⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04816100v1
Alpha and beta desynchronization during consolidation of newly learned words A Zappa,P León-Cabrera,N Ramos-Escobar,M Laine,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornellset al. NeuroImage, 2025, 318 (121410), ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121410⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04933892v2
Against a “Lego Perspective” on Art and Health interventions: Comment on “Can arts-based interventions improve health? A conceptual and methodological critique” by Martin Skov & Marcos Nadal Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells,Jennifer Grau-Sánchez,Clément François Physics of Life Reviews, 2025, 54, pp.218-220. ⟨10.1016/j.plrev.2025.07.020⟩ Article dans une revue (article de synthèse) hal-05201409v1
Music self-projection in a minor mode Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells,Clément François Physics of Life Reviews, 2025, ⟨10.1016/j.plrev.2025.04.010⟩ Article dans une revue hal-05054227v1
Impact of late-to-moderate preterm birth on minimal pair word-learning Clément François,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells,Xim Cerda-Company,Thaïs Agut,Laura Bosch Child Development, 2024, ⟨10.1111/cdev.14160⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04671814v1
Forms and Functions of Gestures in Preverbal 12‐ to 15‐Months Old Infants Shreejata Gupta,Eulalie Pequay,Clément François,Isabelle Dautriche Infancy, 2024, 30 (1), ⟨10.1111/infa.12645⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04847924v1
Impact of cardiac surgical timing on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of newborns with Complex congenital heart disease (CHD) Marien Lenoir,Thibault Beretti,Benoit Testud,Noémie Resseguier,Kim Gauthieret al. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2023, 11, ⟨10.3389/fped.2023.1003585⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04202412v1
Hippocampal and auditory contributions to speech segmentation Neus Ramos-Escobar,Manuel Mercier,Agnès Trébuchon-Fonséca,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells,Clément Françoiset al. Cortex, 2022, ⟨10.1016/j.cortex.2022.01.017⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03604957v1
Good scientific practice in EEG and MEG research: Progress and perspectives Guiomar Niso,Laurens R Krol,Etienne Combrisson,A. Sophie Dubarry,Madison A Elliottet al. NeuroImage, 2022, 257, pp.119056. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119056⟩ Article dans une revue inserm-04886171v1
Challenges and new perspectives of developmental cognitive EEG studies Estelle Hervé,Giovanni Mento,Béatrice Desnous,Clément François NeuroImage, 2022, pp.119508. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119508⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03737844v1
Arcuate fasciculus architecture is associated with individual differences in pre-attentive detection of unpredicted music changes Lucía Vaquero,Neus Ramos-Escobar,David Cucurell,Clément François,Vesa Putkinenet al. NeuroImage, 2021, 229, pp.117759. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117759⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03132095v1
Signatures of brain plasticity supporting language recovery after perinatal arterial ischemic stroke Clément François,Alfredo Garcia-Alix,Laura Bosch,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells Brain and Language, 2021, 212, pp.104880. ⟨10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104880⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02992134v1
Phonetic Skills and Verbal Memory Capacity Predict Phonetic-based Word Learning: An Event-related Potential Study Stefan Elmer,Eva Dittinger,Julia Brocchetto,Clément François,Mireille Bessonet al. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2021, 33 (10), pp.2093-2108. ⟨10.1162/jocn_a_01745⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04169519v1
Oscillatory activity and EEG phase synchrony of concurrent word segmentation and meaning-mapping in 9-year-old children Neus Ramos-Escobar,Emma Segura,Guillem Olivé,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells,Clément François Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2021, 51, pp.101010. ⟨10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101010⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03334735v1
The interplay between domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms during the time-course of verbal associative learning: An event-related potential study Neus Ramos-Escobar,Matti Laine,Mariana Sanseverino-Dillenburg,David Cucurell,Clément Françoiset al. NeuroImage, 2021, 242, pp.118443. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118443⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03334736v1
Attenuated brain responses to speech sounds in moderate preterm infants at term age Clément François,Antoni Rodriguez‐fornells,Maria Teixidó,Thaïs Agut,Laura Bosch Developmental Science, 2021, 24 (1), ⟨10.1111/desc.12990⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02881530v1
La relevancia de la música en el desarrollo lingüístico de los bebés Clément François Llengua, Societat i Comunicació, 2019, Noves perspectives a l'entorn de l'aprenentatge inicial del llenguatge, 17 Article dans une revue hal-02447007v1
White-matter pathways and semantic processing: intrasurgical and lesion-symptom mapping evidence Joanna Sierpowska,Andreu Gabarrós,Alejandro Fernández-Coello,Àngels Camins,Sara Castañeret al. Neuroimage-Clinical, 2019, 22, pp.101704. ⟨10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101704⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02060847v1
Tracking the microstructural properties of the main white matter pathways underlying speech processing in simultaneous interpreters Stefan Elmer,Jürgen Hänggi,Lucía Vaquero,Guillem Olivé Cadena,Clément Françoiset al. NeuroImage, 2019, 191, pp.518-528. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.056⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02099969v1
Music Training Positively Influences the Preattentive Perception of Voice Onset Time in Children with Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Study Aline Frey,Clément François,Julie Chobert,Jean-Luc Velay,Michel Habibet al. Brain Sciences, 2019, 9 (4), pp.91. ⟨10.3390/brainsci9040091⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02108125v1
Right Structural and Functional Reorganization in Four-Year-Old Children with Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke Predict Language Production Clément François,Pablo Ripollés,Laura Ferreri,Jordi Muchart,Joanna Sierpowskaet al. eNeuro, 2019, 6 (4), pp.ENEURO.0447-18.2019. ⟨10.1523/ENEURO.0447-18.2019⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04066430v1
Right Structural and Functional Reorganization in Four-Year-Old Children with Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke Predict Language Production Clément François,Pablo Ripollés,Laura Ferreri,Jordi Muchart,Joanna Sierpowskaet al. eNeuro, 2019, 6 (4), pp.ENEURO.0447-18.2019. ⟨10.1523/ENEURO.0447-18.2019⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02281924v1
Behavioral and electrophysiological investigation of speech perception deficits in silence, noise and envelope conditions in developmental dyslexia Aline Frey,Clément François,Julie Chobert,Mireille R Besson,Johannes Ziegler Neuropsychologia, 2019, 130, pp.3-12. ⟨10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.07.033⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02171878v1
Theta Coherence Asymmetry in the Dorsal Stream of Musicians Facilitates Word Learning Stefan Elmer,Joëlle Albrecht,Seyed Abolfazl Valizadeh,Clément François,Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells Scientific Reports, 2018, 8, pp.4565. ⟨10.1038/s41598-018-22942-1⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02062420v1
White-matter structural connectivity predicts short-term melody and rhythm learning in non-musicians Lucía Vaquero,Neus Ramos-Escobar,Clément François,Virginia Penhune,Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells NeuroImage, 2018, 181, pp.252-262. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.054⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02099977v1
Neurophysiological evidence for the interplay of speech segmentation and word-referent mapping during novel word learning Clément François,Toni Cunillera,Enara Garcia,Matti Laine,Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells Neuropsychologia, 2017, 98, pp.56-67. ⟨10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.10.006⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03529846v1
Auditory Target and Novelty Processing in Patients with Unilateral Hippocampal Sclerosis: A Current-Source Density Study Adrià Vilà-Balló,Clément François,David Cucurell,Júlia Miró,Mercè Falipet al. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7, pp.1612. ⟨10.1038/s41598-017-01531-8⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02062426v1
Enhanced Neonatal Brain Responses To Sung Streams Predict Vocabulary Outcomes By Age 18 Months Clément François,Maria Teixidó,Sylvain Takerkart,Thaïs Agut,Laura Boschet al. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7 (1), ⟨10.1038/s41598-017-12798-2⟩ Article dans une revue hal-01793454v1
Language learning and brain reorganization in a 3.5-year-old child with left perinatal stroke revealed using structural and functional connectivity Clément François,Pablo Ripollés,Laura Bosch,Alfredo Garcia-Alix,Jordi Muchartet al. Cortex, 2016, 77, pp.95-118. ⟨10.1016/j.cortex.2016.01.010⟩ Article dans une revue hal-04446595v1
Structural neuroplasticity in expert pianists depends on the age of musical training onset Lucía Vaquero,Karl Hartmann,Pablo Ripollés,Núria Rojo,Joanna Sierpowskaet al. NeuroImage, 2016, 126, pp.106-119. ⟨10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.11.008⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02099985v1
Musical training as an alternative and effective method for neuro-education and neuro-rehabilitation Clément François,Jennifer Grau-Sánchez,Esther Duarte,Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells Frontiers in Psychology, 2015, 6, pp.475. ⟨10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00475⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02062428v1
Metrical Presentation Boosts Implicit Learning of Artificial Grammar Tatiana Selchenkova,Clément François,Daniele Schön,Alexandra Corneyllie,Fabien Perrinet al. PLoS ONE, 2014, 9 (11), pp.e112233. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0112233⟩ Article dans une revue hal-01242894v1
Faster Sound Stream Segmentation in Musicians than in Nonmusicians C. François,Florent Jaillet,Sylvain Takerkart,Daniele Schön PLoS ONE, 2014, 9 (7), pp.e101340. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0101340⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02062401v1
Twelve Months of Active Musical Training in 8-to 10-Year-Old Children Enhances the Preattentive Processing of Syllabic Duration and Voice Onset Time Julie Chobert,Clément François,Jean-Luc Velay,Mireille R Besson Cerebral Cortex, 2014, 24 (4), pp.956-967. ⟨10.1093/cercor/bhs377⟩ Article dans une revue hal-01384040v1
Neural sensitivity to statistical regularities as a fundamental biological process that underlies auditory learning: The role of musical practice Clément François,Daniele Schön Hearing Research, 2014, Music: A window into the hearing brain, 308, pp.122-128. ⟨10.1016/j.heares.2013.08.018⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02062416v1
Music Training for the Development of Speech Segmentation Clément François,Julie Chobert,Mireille R Besson,Daniele Schön Cerebral Cortex, 2013, 23 (9), pp.2038-2043. ⟨10.1093/cercor/bhs180⟩ Article dans une revue hal-01384105v1
Deficit in the preattentive processing of syllabic duration and VOT in children with dyslexia Julie Chobert,Clément François,Michel Habib,Mireille R Besson Neuropsychologia, 2012, 50 (8), pp.2044-2055. ⟨10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.05.004⟩ Article dans une revue istex hal-01384132v1
Cognitive and methodological considerations on the effects of musical expertise on speech segmentation Clément François,Barbara Tillmann,Daniele Schön Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2012, The Neurosciences and Music IV Learning and Memory, 1252 (1), pp.108-115. ⟨10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06395.x⟩ Article dans une revue istex hal-02062407v1
Musical Expertise and Statistical Learning of Musical and Linguistic Structures Daniele Schön,Clément François Frontiers in Psychology, 2011, 2, pp.167. ⟨10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00167⟩ Article dans une revue hal-02062405v1
Musical Expertise Boosts Implicit Learning of Both Musical and Linguistic Structures Clément François,D Schon Cerebral Cortex, 2011, 21, pp.2357 - 2365. ⟨10.1093/cercor/bhr022⟩ Article dans une revue hal-03053499v1
Enhanced Passive and Active Processing of Syllables in Musician Children Julie Chobert,Céline Marie,Clément François,Daniele Schön,Mireille R Besson Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2011, 10, pp.420 - 3887. ⟨10.1162/jocn_a_00088⟩ Article dans une revue hal-01382742v1

Chapitre d'ouvrage (4)

La musique comme outil thérapeutique durant la petite enfance Clément François,Solène Pichon E. Bigand; G. Mick. Musique science et santé, Dunod, A paraître, Nouveaux chemins de la santé, 9782100800261 Chapitre d'ouvrage hal-04367008v1
Chapter 5. The role of prosody in early speech segmentation and word-referent mapping Maria Teixidó,Clément François,Laura Bosch,Claudia Männel Edited by Pilar Prieto and Núria Esteve-Gibert. The Development of Prosody in First Language Acquisition, pp.79 - 100, 2018, ⟨10.1075/tilar.23.05tei⟩ Chapitre d'ouvrage hal-03053945v1
Influence of musical expertise on the perception of pitch duration and intensity variations in speech and harmonic sounds Mireille R Besson,Julie Chobert,François Clément,Corine Astésano,Céline Marie Corine Astésano; Mélanie Jucla. Neuropsycholinguistic Perspectives on Language Cognition: Essays in honour of Jean-Luc Nespoulous, Psychology Press, pp.88-102, 2017, 9780815356974 Chapitre d'ouvrage hal-02159899v1
Neurosciences de la musique Clément François,Daniele Schön Eric Tardif et Pierre-André Doudin. Neurosciences et cognition, Perspectives pour les sciences de l'éducation, De Boeck superieur, 2016, 9782807301801 Chapitre d'ouvrage hal-03104939v1

Communication dans un congrès (2)

Daily auditory environments in French-speaking infants: A longitudinal dataset Estelle Hervé,Clément François,Laurent Prevot Workshop on Cognitive Modeling and Computational Linguistics, Aug 2024, Bangkok, Thailand. pp.132-151 Communication dans un congrès hal-04671817v1
The Badalona Corpus An Audio, Video and Neuro-Physiological Conversational Dataset Philippe Blache,Salomé Antoine,Dorina de Jong,Lena-Marie Huttner,Emilia Kerret al. Language Resources and Evaluation Conference, 2022, Marseille, France Communication dans un congrès hal-03657477v1

HDR (1)

Towards an integrated neurodevelopmental model of language acquisition Clément François Cognitive science. Aix-marseille University, 2024 HDR tel-04737446v1