Philippe Blache

Philippe Blache is a senior researcher at the Laboratoire Parole & Langage (LPL), a joint research unit of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille University. With a career spanning several decades, he has established himself as a leading figure in computational linguistics, natural language processing, and conversation analysis. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language technology.

His research focuses on several key areas:

• Natural language processing and computational linguistics
• Speech and conversational systems
• Multimodal interaction analysis
• Linguistic annotation and corpus development
• Cognitive modeling of language processing

Blache's recent work (2020-2025) has centered on developing methods to evaluate spoken language features in conversational models, studying common ground instantiation through multimodal signals (including brain activity), and investigating how language models process complex linguistic phenomena. His research often involves creating and analyzing large multimodal corpora that capture not just verbal content but also nonverbal cues, prosody, gestures, and neuro-physiological signals.

His publication record shows consistent high-quality output in top-tier venues, with numerous papers in LREC, COLING, and SIGDIAL proceedings. His work demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary approach, combining insights from linguistics, computer science, cognitive science, and neuroscience to advance our understanding of language processing.

Among his notable contributions is the BrainKT corpus project, which represents an innovative approach to studying the cognitive and neural underpinnings of conversation through simultaneous recording of audio, video, and EEG signals during natural interactions.

Blache has received recognition through his sustained research productivity and leadership in major projects. His collaborations span multiple institutions and disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his work and its broad relevance across fields studying human communication.