Portraits of the UM

Awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Montpellier, Joan Guàrdia i Olmo is Professor of Methodology of Behavioural Sciences at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona (UB). Since 2020, he has also been its rector. It is committed to defending a Europe of education and research based on shared values.

In charge of a long-term study program on chickadees, Anne Charmantier is interested in the adaptation of these passerines to climate change and the urban environment. Director of research in evolutionary ecology at CEFE, she is a 2024 CNRS silver medalist.

An advocate of green, responsible chemistry, Professor Philippe Dubois is an internationally renowned researcher in chemistry and materials science, notably for his cutting-edge research into bioplastics. These innovative processes have led to numerous patented applications in industry, highlighting the essential role of chemistry in the ecological transition. As President and Rector of the University of Mons (UMons), located in French-speaking Belgium, he attaches as much importance to the international reputation of his institution as to the well-being of its students, teachers and researchers. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Montpellier on January 31, 2024.

In Montpellier for ten months as part of the Mak'It program, anthropologist Tania Li from the University of Toronto is combining her work on social and environmental justice in Indonesia with that of her French colleagues from the SENS laboratory in West Africa, Mexico and Myanmar.

Cécile Echalier's research objective is to produce new biomaterials with eagerly-awaited applications in healthcare and regenerative medicine. The chemist from the Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules has just been appointed Associate Professor at the University of Montpellier, the same university where she spent her student days.

It was a singular personality who received the title of honorary doctor from the University of Montpellier at the end of December 2023. A leading Serbian teacher, deeply committed to the involvement of research in her field of expertise, Milena Dragićević Šešić has contributed to the development of cultural policy studies worldwide, notably through the Unesco Chair she has held since 2004.