Vincent Croquette will become the CEO of ESPCI Paris in January 2019
Marie-Christine Lemardeley, president of ESPCI Paris and deputy mayor of Paris in charge of all matters related to higher education, research, and student life, announced on October 17, 2018, the appointment of Vincent Croquette as director general. He will take office on January 1, 2019, succeeding Jean-François Joanny, who has held the position since 2014.
Born on April 13, 1956, and a graduate of ESPCI (94th class), Vincent Croquette, a physicist specializing in biophysics, is a CNRS research director at the Laboratory of Statistical Physics at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS). As a biophysicist, he is one of the pioneers of methods for manipulating chromosomes using magnetic tweezers. He also teaches at ESPCI.
With a background as a research engineer and entrepreneur—having co-founded several startups: Picotwist and Depixus, which in part build on the results of his research—Vincent Croquette perfectly embodies the school’s three pillars: Science, Education, and Innovation.
A recipient of several prestigious awards throughout his academic career (the IBM Prize in 1990, the ENS Prize for the Three Physicists in 2016), he has also published more than 100 articles in international journals and filed 22 patents.
With a background that bridges physics and biology, Vincent Croquette is a perfect fit for the school’s commitment to emphasizing collaboration across disciplines: physics, chemistry, and biology.
Vincent Croquette follows in the footsteps of the distinguished scientists who led the school before him: Jean-François Joanny, Jacques Prost, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Georges Champetier, and Paul Langevin.
About ESPCI Paris
ESPCI Paris is an engineering school in the city of Paris. It is a unique institution, located in the heart of Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the 5th arrondissement, where teaching, research, and innovation come together. The school stands out for its high-level, interdisciplinary scientific education, firmly grounded in a commitment to research excellence, combining basic science with a focus on applications and innovation. Each year, it trains 90 engineering students, recruited from among the very best. It offers a unique curriculum in physics, chemistry, and biology, based on research and hands-on laboratory work. It is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its fundamental and applied research, which drives innovation in industry. Founded in 1882, this gem of French higher education has produced six Nobel laureates since its inception and ranks among the top two French engineering schools in the Shanghai Ranking. ESPCI Paris is a founding member of PSL.
Published on 17/10/2018
School life
