Clément Foucher

My current research focuses primarily on developing tools and methodologies for modeling and simulation based on the Theory of Modeling and Simulation (TM&S). My main focus is on the following topics:

Accessibility of TM&S tools for those who are not familiar with the theory,
Portability of models between simulators,
Reproducibility of simulations.

I particularly study the specific challenges posed by systems with dynamic structures. Indeed, the nature of these systems—whose very structure changes over time—raises unique modeling and simulation issues.

Among the application domains, my current research focuses on the modeling of electrical networks. These networks, particularly when studied over long periods, undergo both intentional and unintentional changes. For example, network expansion (such as the increasing adoption of renewable energies) or failures (e.g., line outages) are instances of structural changes that can affect their operation and stability.

FPDEVSML

As part of this topic, I participate in the development of FPDEVSML, a formal modeling language to express PDEVS model. ARTIS-M2 is a tool that parses FPDEVSML code and automatically generate code for DEVS simulators. It currently support generation for ARTIS* (C++) and PyPDEVS (Python).

A sample of code generated from a FPDEVS model is available here. The model is able to simulate the Game of Life, and a GUI was added to the generated code to make code understanding easier.

By extending the toolchain and target FPDEVSML from a DSML (Domain-Specific Modeling Language), we can pretty much envision to generate a formal simulation directly from a high-level model. This, however, remains to be done.

Related publication:

Gaston Batchoudi, Clément Foucher, Eric Ramat. Parallel-DEVS Specification Language for Modeling: Mathematical Approach and Grammar. 2025 Annual Modeling and Simulation Conference (ANNSIM'25), The Society for Modeling and Simulation International (SCS), May 2025, Madrid, Spain. ⟨hal-05173569⟩

Related public repositories:

FAMS-DSS

TM&S is a powerful and very formal methodology. However, it may be very obscure to people that are not familiar with the domain—i.e. pretty much everyone that does modeling.

I worked with a PhD student on the topic of automating the simulation of dynamic structure systems with a DSML to make simulation user-friendly and a PDEVS core to make it formal.

Related publications:

Aya Attia, Clément Foucher, Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa. Benchmarking formalisms for dynamic structure system Modeling and Simulation. Modélisation des Systèmes Réactifs (MSR'23), CNRS, Nov 2023, Toulouse, France. ⟨hal-04397152v2⟩
Aya Attia, Clément Foucher, Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa. Approche intégrée pour la modélisation et la simulation des systèmes à structure dynamique. Colloque National du GDR SoC2, Jun 2024, Toulouse, France. ⟨hal-04645089⟩
Aya Attia, Clément Foucher, Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa. Modélisation et simulation de systèmes à structure dynamique basés sur des équations différentielles avec DEVS statique. Journées Francophones de la Modélisation et de la Simulation, Nov 2024, Cargese (Corse), France. ⟨hal-04769752⟩
Aya Attia, Clément Foucher, Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa. Modular Simulator for DAE-Based Systems Using DEVS Formalism. 15th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Application, Jun 2025, Porto, Portugal. ⟨hal-05110895⟩
Aya Attia, Clément Foucher, Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa, Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa. Formal approach for Evolutionary Microgrids Modeling and Simulation. Symposium de Génie Electrique, Jul 2025, Toulouse, France. ⟨hal-05141093⟩