CEA - French Atomic Energy Commission

Dr. Vincent Artero

Graduate of the École Normale Supérieure (Paris), Dr. Artero obtained a PhD degree of the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) in 2000 under the supervision of Prof. A. Proust. After a postdoctoral stay at the University of Aachen (Aix la Chapelle) with Prof. U. Kölle, he joined in 2001 the group of Prof. M. Fontecave in Grenoble with a junior scientist position in the Life Sciences Division of CEA. Since 2016, he is Research Director at CEA and leads the SolHyCat group. His current research interests are in bio-inspired chemistry including catalysis related to hydrogen energy and photo-electro-catalysis. Vincent Artero obtained a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC, photocatH2ode project 2012-2017). He’s a member of the Young Academy of Europe (YAE). He currently co-chairs the French network (CNRS-Groupement de recherche) on Solar Fuels. Since 2016, Vincent Artero has been associate editor of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal “Sustainable Energy and Fuels“. From January 2018, he also acts as associate editor of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal “Chemical Science“. He received the 2011 “Grand Prix Mergier-Bourdeix de l’Académie des Sciences”, the 2018 “Prix Forscheurs Jean-Marie Lehn” and the 2018 “Prix du Chercheur Confirmé” of the Physical Chemistry Division of The French Chemical Society (SCF) and the French Physical Society (SFP).

Dr. Hervé Bercegol

Physicist working for the basic science branch of CEA (CEA/DRF). He is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure (Paris) and got a doctorate in physics from the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6). He has an extensive experience of researcher, team leader and program manager within CEA, contributing to solve multidisciplinary problems, interfacial between basic science and engineering. From 1998 to 2008, he led laser damage studies for the Laser Mégajoule project. Then, he made a thematic turn, concentrating his efforts onto scientific issues related to the energy transition. From 2010 to 2012 he was in charge of developing a basic research program for energy. Within the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) from 2010 to 2013, he led the effort to launch the Joint Programme Advanced Materials and Processes for Energy Applications (AMPEA) and was its first coordinator. With other specialists of natural, economic and social sciences, he is presently involved in several cross-disciplinary research and dissemination projects on the physics and economics of energy. Since 2017, he has led a panel of scientific experts, gathered to define a strategic roadmap on basic science for renewable energy for CEA/DRF.

Dr. Fréderic Chandezon

He holds an engineer degree in physics (1991) from the Physics and Chemistry school of Paris (ESPCI) and a PhD degree from Grenoble University (1994). After a postdoctoral stay at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, he joined CEA in Grenoble as research scientist (1996). His research interests include nanoparticles and nanomaterials for energy applications. He has an extensive experience in management and international cooperation. Presently, he heads the SyMMES laboratory (Molecular Systems and Nanomaterials for Energy and Health), a CEA-CNRS-Grenoble University joint laboratory (total staff approx. 120) which develops basic research on themes related to low carbon energy and health. Since 2013, he coordinates the EERA Joint Programme AMPEA (Advanced Materials and Processes for Energy Applications) which has been a melting pot for SUNRISE. Since 2006, he has been involved in scientific and academic cooperation with universities and research organizations in Latin America. After co-chairing the International Conference for Spectroscopy SPECTRA 2009, he was a founding member of the Nano-Andes network in 2010, dedicated to developing nanoscience in Latin-American countries through summer schools, workshops and collaborations.

Gaëlle Decroix

She is in charge of the European Affairs at the Direction of external collaborations and industrial partnerships in CEA’s Fundamental Research Division. She is involved in the French H2020 NCP for ERC and Research Infrastructures, and in the support to research teams for FET programme at University Paris Saclay. She has been involved in EU projects since FP6.

Dr. Giovanni Finazzi

Giovanni Finazzi got his PhD in Cell Biology (Cellular and Molecular Biology) at the University of Milano (Italy). After a post doc at the Institut de Biologie Physico Chimique (IBPC) of Paris on the biophysics of photosynthesis with Drs Pierre Joliot and Francis André Wollman, he worked for the Italian Research Council in Milano. In 2001, he joined the French CNRS, first in Paris at the IBPC and later at the CEA of Grenoble. He is currently Research Director 1st grade at the CNRS in the Laboratory of Plant and Cell Physiology of the CEA in Grenoble. He has been the president of the French Society of Photosynthesis from 2008 to 2013 and the director of the French Research Network on Photosynthesis (GDR photosynthèse) from 2013 to 2016. He is the President of the French Bioenergetics Society and the French representative at the Europen Bioenergetics Conference (EBEC). He has published more than 100 scientific articles, thanks to collaborations with academic labs worldwide. His main interest is understanding the bioenergetics of photosynthesis with a multidisciplinary approach. This includes fundamental research as well as application of microalgal biomass optimization for biofuel applications, thanks to partnerships with biotech companies in France and other European countries. Laureate of the Human Frontier Science Program from 2016 to 2019, he has recently received an advanced grant from The European Research Council

Dr. Juliette Jouhet

Graduate of the École Normale Supérieure-Paris-Saclay (Cachan), Dr. Jouhet obtained a PhD degree of the Université Joseph Fourier (today Université Grenoble Alpes, UGA) in 2005 under the supervision of Dr. M.A. Block. After a postdoctoral stay at the Cambridge University (UK) with Prof. J. Gray, she joined in 2010 the group of Dr. E. Maréchal in the Plant and Cell Laboratory (PCV lab) in Grenoble with a junior scientist position at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Since 2019, she is research director at CNRS and leads the Lipid group. Her current research interests are in the metabolism and properties of non phosphorus glycerolipids. She tries to understand their role in membrane architecture and oil accumulation in plants and algae. Juliette Jouhet obtained ANR Grants and received in 2017 the bronze medal of the CNRS.

Dr. Winfried Leibl

He graduated with a degree in Physics from the University of Regensburg in Germany. He then decided on a research career in the field of Biophysics and obtained a PhD degree of the University of Osnabrück in 1989 under the supervision of Prof. H.-W. Trissl. A two-year post-doc fellowship of the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) brought him to the Bioenergetics Section at the Life Science Division of CEA Saclay in France to work in the group of Dr. J. Breton on primary processes in photosynthesis. Since 2010 he is Research Director at CEA at the Frédéric Joliot Institute for Life Sciences and heads the research group Photocatalysis and Biohydrogen. His main research interests are artificial photosynthesis and molecular, bio-inspired photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical systems for solar energy conversion with a strong emphasis on fundamental insight into light-induced mechanisms.

Dr. Serge Palacin

He is head of the CEA-CNRS “Nanoscience and Innovation for Materials, Biomedicine and Energy” joint research unit. As a chemist researcher, he published more than 150 papers on surface chemistry and nanomaterials mainly related to energy-issues including electrocatalysis, noble-metal-free hydrogen production and fuel cell issues. Since 2012, he is head of the Research network “NanoSaclay” that gathers almost all research teams active in nanoscience in the Paris-Saclay area. In 2014, he was awarded the Prix Jaffé of the French Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Marcel Salanoubat

He is Research director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). He first was involved in plant science including plant genomics and participated in a number of national and international genome sequencing projects (Arabidopsis, Rice, plant pathogen and other microorganisms). Since 2004, he redirected his scientific activities toward the exploration of gene function to understand the chemical functioning of a cell. Since 2008, he heads the CEA CNRS UEVE “Génomique Métabolique” joint unit which is the research unit of Genoscope. The unit develops part of its research to explore, exploit and diversify the chemistry of living organisms with both fundamental and applied objectives. This includes the production of metabolites of industrial interest based on (1) biocatalytic processes, (2) CO2 assimilation by non-photosynthetic bacterial organism and (3) bioremediation of molecule causing health concerns.