The French Order of Merit: six figures linked to Université Paris-Saclay among the recipients
This year, 104 figures from the world of higher education, research and innovation, including 56 women, have been awarded the French National Order of Merit. Among the recipients, a research director linked to Université Paris-Saclay has been promoted to the rank of Officer, and five scientists the rank of Knight.
The rank of Officer:
- Claire Rogel-Gaillard is deputy scientific director for Agriculture at INRAE and deputy director for Research at the Biosphera Graduate School at Université Paris-Saclay. She is also a member of the Genetics, Microbiota and Health team within the Animal Genetics and Integrative Biology unit (GABI – Univ. Paris-Saclay/INRAE, AgroParisTech).
The rank of Knight:
- Nathalie Besson is a physicist and head of the Department of Particle Physics at the Institute of Research into the Fundamental Laws of the Universe (DRF/IRFU/DPHP – Univ. Paris-Saclay/CEA).
- Antoine Browaeys is a physicist and CNRS research director at the Charles Fabry Laboratory (LCF – Univ. Paris-Saclay/Institut d’Optique Graduate School/CNRS). He is also a member of the French Academy of Science.
- Alain Bui is a university professor in computer science and has been president of Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines since 2017.
- Loïc Lepiniec, is a university professor in agronomy, an INRAE research director at the Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB – Univ. Paris-Saclay/AgroParisTech/INRAE), regional representative for INRAE in the Île de France region, and coordinator of the Saclay plant science network.
- Gérald Peyroche, is a university professor in biology and a researcher at the Laboratory for Biology and Applied Pharmacology (LBPA – Univ. Paris-Saclay/CNRS/ENS Paris-Saclay) and the Department of Teaching and Research in Biology at ENS Paris-Saclay. He is also a member of the steering committee for the Averroes programme (MD/PharmD-PhD). Since 28 March 2022, he has managed the Institut Villebon-Georges Charpak, dedicated to pedagogical innovation.