Agnès Mignot: “Give Research Back the Time It Needs”
Recently appointed Executive Vice President for Research Streamlining and Oversight of National Programs, Agnès Mignot is no stranger to the University. A researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier, she has spent many years working to improve relations between research and administration, while also advocating for the Nagoya Protocol and greater recognition of women in research.
Last name?
Agnès Mignot.
Role?
I am a professor at the University of Montpellier and currently serve as Executive Vice President in charge of major national projects and the administrative simplification process.
Is this new?
A few months ago, the Minister of Higher Education and the “ Research ” initiative proposed that universities embark on a streamlining process to free up more time for research—that is, for the “ Professors,” female and male faculty members, and support staff. Among other responsibilities, I am in charge of overseeing these efforts.
Any other responsibilities under this mandate?
Higher education and research are organized around very large-scale projects that are funded at the national level. The University, through its Professors , and researchers, is heavily involved in these exploratory research programs—known as PEPRs —so I’m also responsible for overseeing these various projects.
Is this your first term at theUM ?
No, this isn’t exactly my first term at theUM. I was previously the Executive Vice President in charge of relations between the administration and the research community. President Augé asked me to focus on the issue of facilitating relations between the administration and the research community… Given all the challenges faced by unit directors, administrative leaders, and—on a day-to-day basis—researchers, Professors , and research support staff.
Nagoya Protocol?
That’s right; I’m a project manager at the University of Montpellier focusing on the Nagoya Protocol and its implementation from an administrative, legislative, and research perspective. The Nagoya Protocol was signed as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to protect biodiversity and seeks to prevent biopiracy on an international scale. This requires providing significant support to researchers, Professors , and faculty members.
Are you a researcher yourself?
I’m a professor and researcher, and I really value both roles. My lab is currently the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences. It’s a research unit that focuses on all the mechanisms of evolution, adaptation, and speciation in species. On the long-term scale, we have paleontologists; on the short-term scale, researchers studying adaptation mechanisms in very small organisms. And then there are researchers focusing on questions related to animals or plants—which aligns more closely with my work, since I’m interested in the evolution of flowering plants.
Women in science?
There aren’t that many of us, after all. Gender ratio indicators—that is, the proportion of men and women—in various institutions are often aggregated, and while overall we’re not too far from a 50/50 split, when you look at the details… We’re far from 50/50 in leadership roles or when you break it down by discipline. As a result, in areas where gender parity is essential—such as recruitment selection committees and the governing boards of universities or higher education and research institutions of any kind—women ultimately pay a heavy price because there are fewer of them and they must, in effect, shoulder a heavier burden than their male counterparts.
Your magic formula?
What has been extremely beneficial—both for me personally and in the projects I’ve had to carry out—is working as a team, which means trusting one another. It starts with getting to know each other’s roles—the roles of everyone you’ll be working with—so that you can effectively help their work evolve and identify areas for improvement. And these ideas often come from people’s day-to-day experiences. So whether it’s in teaching, research, or administration, teamwork is really, really what I emphasize.