The 2025 International Scientific Council

For nearly twenty years, ESPCI Paris – PSL has relied on a discreet yet crucial asset: its International Scientific Council (ISC). Serving as a true intellectual compass, this body brings together ten leading scientists and figures from the world’s top universities and industries. Their mission: to analyze the School’s activities each year and formulate strategic recommendations for the administration.

A president of global stature

At the helm of the ISCI, ESPCI can count on an exceptional figure: Steven Chu, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, a professor at Stanford, and former U.S. Secretary of Energy.
 A scientist deeply committed to energy transition issues, he brings to the ISC an extremely broad vision, at the intersection of science, innovation, and societal challenges.

A unique composition in the French landscape

The ISC consists of 10 members of international standing, appointed for six years, half of whom are replaced every three years to ensure continuity and renewal.

These include, in particular:

• Monica Olvera de la Cruz, a specialist in materials and polymer chemistry at Northwestern University,
• Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, a leading figure in biophysics at Harvard,
• Andrew Millis, a world-renowned expert in condensed matter physics at Columbia,
• Allard Mosk, professor of physics at the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials,
• Brent Sumerlin, professor of chemistry at the University of Florida
• Claire Wyart, a neuroscientist at the ICM,
  as well as several industry representatives, including:
• Patrick Maestro, former scientific director at Solvay and member of the French Academy of Engineering
• Yves Bréchet, Member of the French Academy of Sciences and Chief Scientific Officer of Saint-Gobain
• And Aline Criton, Director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at Withings

A rare combination that gives the ISC a level of scientific and technological depth that is unique in France.

A key role in shaping the School’s Overall Direction

Each year, the ISC reviews the School’s research, teaching, and innovation activities. 
It identifies strengths, highlights challenges, and proposes avenues for improvement.
 Since its creation, its analyses have helped shape ESPCI’s major scientific, educational, and strategic decisions.

An outside perspective, demanding and indispensable

By bringing together leading figures from both academia and industry, ESPCI provides itself with a rigorous yet supportive perspective.
 The ISC thus ensures that the School’s decisions meet the highest international standards and remain aligned with major scientific and technological challenges.

A strategic asset for the future

In a rapidly changing global academic landscape, the ISC is, more than ever, a cornerstone of ESPCI Paris – PSL. 
Its expertise, diversity, and independence help reinforce the School’s ambitions and carry on the tradition of innovation and excellence for which it is renowned.