Ecole Normale Supérieure                                                       1961-1965

Docteur de 3^ème cycle en Astrophysique (Paris University)       1964

Docteur en Sciences Physiques (Paris University)                      1970

• Elève fonctionnaire, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 1/10/1961 – 30/09/1965
• Stagiaire de recherche au CNRS, 1/10/1965 – 30/09/1966
• Attaché de recherche au CNRS, 1/10/1966 – 31/01/1970
• Chargé de recherche au CNRS, 1/02/1970 – 31/12/1974
• Research fellow in physics, California Institute of Technology (Pasadena – USA), 1/10/1971 – 1/5/1973
• Maître de conférences de physique à l’Ecole Polytechnique (lecturer in astrophysics) 1/10/1974 – 30/9/1989
• Maître de recherche au CNRS, 1/01/1975 – 31/12/1980
• Visiting professor of Physics – Mc Donnell Space Flight Center (Washington University, St-Louis – USA), April-May 1975, May  1976
• Director of the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (CNRS) - personal : 100 people (60 researchers – 40 Technical staff), 1/2/1978 – 20/12/1989.
• Member of the Board of the Canada France Hawai Telescope Corporation from 1980 to 1989, Chairman of the Board in 1986 and 1987.
• Directeur de recherche (1^ère classe) au CNRS, 1/01/1981 – 31/12/1994
• Founder of the series of Moriond meetings in astrophysics on February 1981 and organizer of these meetings from 1981 to 1986.
• Research Associate of Physics California Institute of Technology Pasadena, October and November 1982.
• Visiting professor of astrophysics, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA - Falls 1983, 1984, 1985, January 1989, August 1989, April 1998.
• Member of the Scientific Committee of the Space Telescope Science Institute (Baltimore), 1984 – 1986.
• Scientific editor Editions Belfond, 1984 – 1989.
• President of commission “Cosmology” belonging to the International Astronomical Union, 1985-1988.
• Chairman of the Space Telescope Advisory Team of ESA, 1985 – 1987.
• President of the Societé Française des spécialistes en Astronomie, 1986 – 1987.
• Miller visiting professor of astrophysics, University of California, Berkeley, October – November 1986.
• Conseiller technique à la Présidence de la République chargé de la Recherche, la Technologie, l’Espace et l’Environnement, 26/1/1989 – 5/2/1993.
• Maître de conférences (Institut des Sciences Politiques de Paris) since 1/10/1990.
• President of the Etablissement Public du Parc et de la grande Halle de la Villette, 5/2/1993 – 5/2/1996.
• Directeur de recherche, classe exceptionnelle 1^er échelon, 1/01/1995 – 30/09/1999
• Regents Lecturer of the University of California, Berkeley, April 1995.
• Leader of the  « Ethique des Energies » Team, Unesco, 9/1996 – 12/1997.
• French representative in the Council of Cospar, since 1996.
• President of the Societe Française pour l’Avancement des Sciences, 1997 – 1998.
• Director of Palais de la découverte, 1998 - 2004.
• Member of the Cospar Bureau, 1998 - 2006.
• Rapporteur of the « ethics of Energy » at COMEST (World Commission of ethics of science and technology), Unesco, since 1998.
• Directeur de recherche, classe exceptionnelle 2^e échelon since 1/10/1999
• Vice-President of the Unesco French National Commission, since 2000.
• Chairman of the panel “Future of the French nuclear weapon systems” (Ministry of Defense), 2000.
• Editor of New Astronomy Reviews Elsevier), since 2000.
• Chairman on the Local Organizing Committee of the General Assembly of COSPAR (July 2002 – July 2004).
• Member of “Haut Conseil d’Evaluation de l’Ecole” since 2004

Research Activities

They concern nuclear astrophysics, i.e. the application of nuclear physics and particles physics to astrophysics. I am the author of about 200 scientific publications on these themes. Among the specific topics, let me quote :

• The light element (lithium, beryllium and bore) formation by interaction between cosmic rays and interstellar medium (our work of 1971 is the most important reference in that domain).

• The effects of spallation reactions, which could occur at the surface of stars or inside meteorites.

• The explosive nucleosynthesis which takes place inside novi and supernovi.

• Nucleo-cosmo-chronologies deduced from long lived radioisotopes produced by s, p and  r nucleosynthetic processes.

• After my first stay in the USA, I have founded in France a research team who took the lead on chemical evolution of galaxies. My review paper in 1976 with BM Tinsley is also a basic reference concerning this topic.

• Primordial nucleosynthesis which is predicted by the Big Bang theoris and which allows to describe this cosmological scenarios with significant accuracy. As a follow up of that subjec, I have played a major role in France in establishing useful collaboration between particles and nuclear physicists and astrophysicists.

• Presently, I am interested in the recent progress in gamma ray astronomy and expect to contribute in the interpretation of the gamma ray spectra obtained by the space mission INTEGRAL.

 I have been the thesis advisor of around twelve researches students whom L. Vigroux, head of CEA who will become in 2005 the director of the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, B. Lazareff, astronomer (Observatoire de Grenoble), deputy director (Institut de Radio Astronomique Millimétrique), J.P. Chièze, P. Delbourgo-Salvador, G. Malinie and R. Lehoucq, physicists (CEA), E. Vangioni-Flam, research engineer (CNRS), B. Zanda, maître de conference (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle), I. Baraffe, astronomer (Observatoire de Lyon)…

I have founded the series of astrophysical Moriond meeting en 1981 and I have organized and published the proceedings of about twenty schools or international meetings.

During the 1970 years, I have served in the committee « Astronomie et Système Solaire » of Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (C.N.E.S.). At the same period, I was a member of the Scientific Program Committee which has the task to select the french space missions. In the summer of 1976 I was one of the lecturers of the summer school organized by CNES regarding the current progresses in Space Astronomy. During the 1980 years, I was one of the two European members of the scientific committee of the Space Telescope appointed by R. Giacconi, the first director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. This scientific advisory committee set up the program selection procedures, such as the concept of key projects. At the same period, I was appointed chairman of the Space Telescope Advisory Team of the European Space Agency (ESA). This team prepared the scientific guidelines of the ESA Space Telescope facility, which was established in Garching within the ESO organization. Moreover it selected the European proposals to use the guaranteed time allocated to the group responsible for the realization of the Faint Object Camera. From 1989 to 1993, I was the scientific advisor of president F. Mitterrand and was his advisor for the space affairs. In 1996, CNES requested my participation in the definition and building of its Strategic Plan. In July 1996, I was appointed as the French representative in the council of COSPAR. I have been elected as a member of the bureau of COSPAR in 1998. I pursue currently my mandate in these two capacities. In 1999, the World Committee on Ethics of science and technology, belonging to Unesco asked me to participate to the working group on ethics of space. I am presently the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the Paris Cospar General Assembly, which will take place on July 2004.

Research Administration and other responsibilities

During twelve years (1978 – 1989), I have been the director of the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, the most prestigious research laboratory in astrophysics in France and I believe that I have rejuvenated this place and made it internationally visible.

 From 1989 to 1993 I have been the scientific advisor of President François Mitterrand, responsible of Science, Technology, Environment and Spatial Affairs.

 From 1993 to 1996 I have been the first president of the Etablissement Public du Parc et de la Grande Halle de la Villette which is responsible of the cultural animation of a huge urban complex in the North of Paris.

 From 1998 to 2004 I have been the director of Palais de la découverte (personal of 250 people), a great and reputed scientific museum located in the very center of Paris.

 Since march 2004 I chair the scientific committee of the Salon de la Recherche et de l’Innovation”, the first edition taking place in paris on june 2005.

 I have had and/or have responsibilities at the international level :

• Member of the board of the Canada-France-Hawaï Telescope corporation from 1980 to 1989 and chairman of the board on 1986 and 1987

• Member of the Fachbeirat of the Max Plank Institute für Astrophysik (Garching) from 1984 to 1996 and chairman from 1990 to 1996

• Member of the scientific committee of the Space Telescope Science Institute (Baltimore), 1984 – 1986

• Chairman of the Space Telescope Advisory Team of ESA, 1985-1987

• Chairman of the commission “Cosmology” of IAU, 1985-1988

• Member of the Cospar council since 1996 and member of its bureau since 1988, Chairman of the local organizing committee of the Cospar General Assembly, 2004.

• Rapporteur of the theme “Ethics of Energy” for the COMEST (World Commission of Ethics of Science and Technology) of Unesco since 1996.

• Vice-President of the French National Commission of Unesco since 2000.

• Author of  report concerning the future of the French nuclear defense weapon system at the attention of the Ministry of Défense.

At the national level, I have held many positions in various consulting committees of CNRS-CNES-ESA and further scientific associations.

• I have taught astrophysics and space physics from 1974 to 1989 at Ecole Polytechnique. I teach a general course on science at the master level at Science Po since 1990.
• I have taught these topics in several foreign universities and summer schools (Caltech, UCLA, Berkeley, University of Virginia, Washington University…)

• I have published about ten popular and text books among which Nuclear Astrophysics (Reidel) and the Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy…

• As written earlier, I have been the director of one of the largest scientific museums in France for more than five years.

Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur           1989

Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite    1996