Sebastien Le Pape is a senior scientist and the current Director of the Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI) at École Polytechnique,France,as well as Director of the APOLLON Research Infrastructure. He holds a PhD in plasma physics from Pierre& Marie Curie University (2001) and has over two decades of experience in high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion. His research spans X-ray lasers, equation of state studies, proton acceleration, and fusion energy. He has held key scientific and leadership roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and led major experimental campaigns at facilities such as the National Ignition Facility. As an active leader in the international scientific community, he has chaired numerous conferences, served on scientific advisory boards, and is Principal Investigator of several high-impact projects.

The Apollon research infrastructure is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge in key scientific domains,including strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SFQED) and laboratory astrophysics. Conceived in the early 2000s by Nobel Laureate Gérard Mourou,Apollon was envisioned as a high-intensity laser facility in France,designed to enable cutting-edge scientific research and foster the development of laser technologies for the international scientific community. In this presentation,I will first trace the journey leading to the creation of this unique MultiBeam,Multi-Petawatt laser facility,a journey that began in 2006. I will then describe the initial experimental campaigns conducted at Apollon,as well as future plans for its development to meet the evolving needs of the global user community.