Jean-Alexis Hernandez is currently scientist at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. He is in charge of laser-driven dynamic compression experiments at the High Power Laser Facility (HPLF) on the ultrafast X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline ID24. He studied at the Geoscience Department of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon and University of Lyon where he received his PhD in 2017. Between 2017 and 2019, he worked at the kilojoule laser facility LULI (Laboratoire d'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses). Then, between 2019 and 2021, he moved to the Center for Earth Evolution and Dynamics at the University of Oslo. He joined ESRF in 2021 and has been working on HPLF, ID24 and BM23 beamlines group since then.

            Jean-Alexis Hernandez is interested in the behavior of planetary compounds under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. Part of his research lies in exploring the phase diagram and properties of hydrogen-rich planetary ices (H2O, NH3, CHNO mixtures) at extreme PT conditions, similar to those encountered within the interiors of water-rich super-Earths and Neptune-like planets. Additionally, he is interested in the structure, melting behavior, and properties of dense silicates, contributing to our understanding of early Earth and other terrestrial planet interiors. His research is based on both high-pressure experiments (mainly laser-driven dynamic compressions) and atomistic simulations. He is strongly involved in the development and utilization of experimental setups coupling laser-driven experiments with ultrafast X-ray probes (XRD and XAS) and worked on compression schemes generating conditions more relevant for planetary interiors (double shocks, shock in statically pre-compressed samples).