Portraits of theUM

Cécile Echalier’s research goal is to develop new biomaterials that will have highly anticipated 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 very same place where she once sat in the lecture halls as a student.

A remarkable individual was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Montpellier in late December 2023. A leading Serbian scholar deeply committed to advancing research in her field of expertise, Milena Dragićević Šešić has helped develop cultural policy studies around the world, notably through the UNESCO Chair she has held since 2004.

During his fall 2023 residency in Montpellier through the MAK’IT (Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions) program at theUM, ecologist Jean-Paul Metzger, a professor at the University of São Paulo, continued his research—which bridges ecology and quality of life—in collaboration with his French counterparts.

With the NEMESIS project, mathematician Daniele Di Pietro has just secured €7.8 million in ERC Synergy funding. His goal: to overcome current technological barriers in the numerical simulation of complex physical problems. This is a major achievement for Alexandre Grothendieck, director of the Montpellier institute, who recounts his journey in this discipline—one he never intended to pursue.

Paul Antonio, a paleomagnetism researcher at the Montpellier Geosciences Laboratory, has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) grant for proposing a new experimental method to refine the dating of the Earth’s inner core.

Oriol Amat is a professor of economics at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, where he also served as rector. He is considered an expert in financial accounting, management accounting, and corporate fraud. On September 20, the University of Montpellier was pleased to award him an honorary doctorate.