photographist

“I had decided to do research in the field of solid state physics because I wanted to work on structures and components I could observe and manipulate, even if with some sophisticated equipment. A well established tradition in solid state physics exists- in the University Paris Sud-Orsay, with great laboratories and researchers, and I had the chance to be trained by famous professors in the field. I was interested in the magnetic properties of solids and I developed my research at Institut d’Electronique Fondamentale, first on one-dimensional magnetic compounds, then on spin glasses. After that period my research work was dedicated to ultrathin magnetic layers, two or three atoms thick, which exhibit amazing properties, giving rise to very important applications. For instance, the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of ultrathin multilayers has led to the development of a new generation of reading heads for computer hard disks , thus greatly contributing to improve their storage capacities. It is for his contribution to the basic studies of these properties that Professor Albert Fert in Paris-Sud was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2007.

Training new generations of students on the advances in science is a very important part of the life of scientists and I was very happy as a University Professor . Our work requires curiosity and rigour, and one of its most challenging aspects is that at a given time all the scientists working on a same subject around the world go forward together. The conferences and workshops give the opportunity to discuss with colleagues at the international level, to compare ideas. I have also worked about ten years as an expert for the EC. Meanwhile for seven years I have been the head of my laboratory, where 200 people worked on electronic and magnetic nanodevices. After that period, I have been President of the École Normale supérieure de Cachan, a high level research and higher education institution, where many disciplines are developed. I can really say that I have spent more than 40 years in science with great self-fulfillment !”

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