UM Profiles

A world-renowned researcher in the field of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), Michel Bouvier has contributed to numerous fundamental and therapeutic discoveries regarding these proteins, which are the targets of more than 30% of the drugs on the market. Many researchers from Montpellier were trained by the professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Montpellier.

Ludovic Berthier is a research director in statistical physics at the Charles Coulomb Laboratory and a research associate at the University of Cambridge. Last March, this author of more than 200 publications received the CNRS Silver Medal in recognition of 25 years of research on disordered physical systems.

A leading figure in paleontology, Colombian scientist Carlos Jaramillo specializes in the evolution of Amazonian-Andean ecosystems over the past 120 million years. The researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has, in particular, shed light on the origins of the region’s rich biodiversity.

Alain Lacampagne, Director of the Laboratory of Physiology and Experimental Medicine (University of Montpellier / CNRS / Inserm), has just been awarded the CNRS Silver Medal for his work on the role of calcium homeostasis in conditions such as heart failure and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This medal recognizes a career dedicated to a holistic understanding of medicine and to promising therapeutic approaches.

Alison Duncan is a researcher in evolutionary ecology at the Montpellier Institute of Evolutionary Sciences (ISEM). To better understand the dynamics of epidemics, she studies interactions between parasites, as well as between hosts and parasites. In 2022, she received the Mariano Gago Springboard Award for bilateral cooperation between France and Portugal. 

With his Ocean One diving archaeology robot, Oussama Khatib—director of the Stanford Robotics Lab and a world-renowned researcher—is shining a spotlight on the mysteries of the deep sea and robotics. On February 20, based on the recommendations of his French colleagues Philippe Poignet, Vincent Creuze, and Philippe Fraisse—all three robotics researchers at Lirmm—the Franco-American was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Montpellier.