UM Profiles

Paul-Émile Paradan, a mathematics researcher at the Alexander Grothendieck Institute in Montpellier, part of the University of Montpellier, has received the “Alexandre-Joannidès” Prize awarded by the French Academy of Sciences. The award recognizes years of independent research at the intersection of Atiyah–Singer index theory, representation theory, and symplectic geometry.  

Thanks to the MAK'IT program (Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions), Silvia Giordani is weaving collaborations with several UM laboratories around her nanomaterials research. The Dublin City University professor is taking advantage of this to extend the biomedical applications of her carbon nano-onions to fields other than medicine, particulary energy.

Catherine Alix-Panabières is one of the world’s leading experts on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and liquid biopsy. As the originator of the term, the professor of oncology at the University of Montpellier and director of the Laboratory for Rare Human Circulating Cells and Liquid Biopsy (LCCRH) is spearheading numerous research projects on cancer biomarkers present in the blood, with therapeutic applications on the horizon.

On August 1, 2024, astronomer Agnès Lèbre took over as director of the Montpellier Environmental Research Observatory (OREME). This role is a natural fit for the first researcher atUM responsibilitiesUM an observation service since 1996.

At the forefront of the digital revolutions, Edmond Baranes has been studying the economics of telecommunications services for three decades. A professor of economics at the University of Montpellier, he was elected dean of the Faculty of Economics in 2024.

A researcher at the Laboratory of Mechanics and Civil Engineering (LMGC) in Montpellier, Katerina Ioannidou was awarded the CNRS Bronze Medal in 2024 for her work in statistical physics on porous concrete. Her research contributes to the development of materials capable of storing energy and sequestering carbon.