Recent advances in the description of reactions involving exotic nuclei

In this contribution to the proceedings of the International Nuclear Physics Conference 2019, I review recent developments made in reaction models used to analyse data measured at radioactive-ion beam facilities to study exotic nuclear structures. I focus in particular on reactions like elastic scattering and breakup, which are used to study halo nuclei. Although these peculiar nuclei challenge usual nuclear-structure models, some can now be computed ab initio. This brief review illustrates the progresses made in nuclear-reaction theory in the last few years to improve the description of the projectile within reaction models. I dedicate this contribution to the memory of Mahir Hussein, who has significantly contributed to this field and who passed away in May this year.