Portraits of the UM

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.