Portraits of the UM

Thanks to original results on semiconductor nanostructures, and in particular on the physical properties of boron nitride, physicist Guillaume Cassabois from UM's Charles Coulomb Laboratory has just been awarded the Grand Prix Jean Ricard 2025 by the French Physics Society. While the award recognizes individual achievement, Cassabois also emphasizes the importance of teamwork throughout his research.

A politician at the UM, Laura Michel has been coordinating a 100% SHS research collective on public policies for transition since 2024. This role has earned her the position of Director of the Mak'it program, Montpellier's institute for advanced studies specializing in transition.

University professor at Montpellier Management, Irène Georgescu works on the resilience of healthcare professionals. A challenge that has earned her European Research Innovation Action funding of 5.6 million euros in 2025.

A professor at the University of Guelph in Canada, ecologist Madhur Anand brings science and art into dialogue, even in her own practice. A modeler and author, she is taking advantage of her visit to Montpellier in the first half of 2025 to combine interdisciplinary seminars and book signings at the Comédie du livre.

Tomasz Hueckel, Professor Emeritus at Duke University (Durham, North Carolina, USA), joins the growing community of Honorary Doctors at the Université de Montpellier. An engineer, researcher and teacher, he has worked for over 15 years with teams at the University of Montpellier, in particular those at the Mechanics and Civil Engineering Laboratory (LMGC). The ceremony on May 16, 2025 was an opportunity to retrace his career step by step, from his native Poland to the United States, as well as his significant contributions to the field of civil and environmental engineering.

Post-doctoral fellow at the Marbec laboratory, ecologist Noémie Coulon is one of nine young researchers selected by the Institut de l'océan to cover the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice in early June. An ideal assignment for this specialist in the impact of climate change on rays and sharks in Europe.

With the Amarok observatory, Professor Olivier Torrès has put his research at the service of the health of managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A career doubly rewarded by the Julien Marchesnay Prize in 2024 and by his appointment to the rank of Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite in 2025.

Mircea Sofonea is an epidemiologist at the Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections (PCCEI) laboratory. Although his discipline has only become widely known since the Covid epidemic, for him it's a vocation that goes back a long way. Portrait of a researcher who knows how to stay the course.

As Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Heidelberg and Director of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Lutz Gade has built up world-renowned expertise in his field over the years. Over and above his academic achievements, it is also in recognition of his investment in cooperation between the University of Heidelberg and the University of Montpellier that he was awarded the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa by the UM in February 2025.

After studying the impact of human activities on marine biodiversity, David Mouillot is now looking at the possible impact of coastal marine resources in reducing human poverty. The professor at the University of Montpellier and researcher in the Marbec laboratory has just been awarded an ERC Advanced grant to conduct transdisciplinary research on this new subject.

Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, Armand Soldera has been awarded the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa by the University of Montpellier. A well-deserved honor for this Professor of Chemistry, who is as committed as he is to forging lasting links with the UM and its constituent parts, including Polytech Montpellier.

Professor at UM's Institut des biomolécules Max Mousseron, chemist Jean-Yves Winum designs and synthesizes enzymatic inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases, an interesting target for anti-cancer treatments and against various pathogens. His career has been rewarded with the Prix Michel Delalande from the Académie nationale de pharmacie.