Bernard Bigot

Bernard Bigot
Bigot in 2013
Born	(1950-01-24)24 January 1950 Blois, France
Died	14 May 2022(2022-05-14) (aged 72) France
Alma mater	École normale supérieure de lettres et sciences humaines Pierre and Marie Curie University
Spouse	Chantal Bigot-Martin (née Martin)
Scientific career
Fields	Nuclear physics
Institutions	École normale supérieure de Lyon Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives ITER
Thesis	Étude théorique de la réactivité des états excités des molécules organiques par la méthode des corrélations naturelles  (1979)
Doctoral advisor	Lionel Salem

Bernard Bigot (French pronunciation: [bɛʁnar biɡo]; 24 January 1950 – 14 May 2022) was a French academic and civil servant.[1] He served as the Director-General of the ITER organization between 2015 and 2022.[2] He was the president of the École normale supérieure de Lyon and director of the French Commission for Atomic Energy.[3]

Education

Bernard Bigot studied at the École normale supérieure de lettres et sciences humaines, the Orsay faculty of sciences, which is now part of Paris-Saclay University and the Pierre and Marie Curie University. He earned an advanced degree in physical sciences with a major in chemistry and a doctorate in physics and chemistry. Bigot completed his doctoral thesis in 1979 at Orsay with Lionel Salem as his supervisor, titled Étude théorique de la réactivité des états excités des molécules organiques par la méthode des corrélations naturelles.[4]

Career

When the École normale supérieure de Lyon was founded in 1985, Bernard Bigot was appointed deputy director of studies.[5]

In July 2003, he was appointed High Commissioner for Atomic Energy, a post he held until May 2009. In January 2009, he was appointed Director General of the French Atomic Energy Commission, replacing Alain Bugat.[6]

In 2011, he was reappointed as Director General of the CEA for a three-year term from 9 January 2012. In November 2014, he was appointed to succeed Osamu Motojima as Director General of the ITER international research project. He was elected Director-General on 5 March 2015, and unanimously re-elected by the ITER Council in January 2019 for a further five years,[7] but fell ill and died on 14 May 2022. His successor, Pietro Barabaschi, was appointed by the ITER Council on 15 September 2022.[8]

Personal life

Bigot married Chantal Martin in 1975.[1]

Bigot died on 14 May 2022, at the age of 72.[9][10]

References

1. "Décès du professeur Bernard Bigot (1950-2022)". Sciences de l'Ingénieur et Simulation (in French). 27 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
2. New ITER boss promises to streamline management and repair ties with the U.S.. Science Magazine
3. Bernard Bigot, directeur général d'ITER Organization. iter.org
4. Bigot, Bernard (1979). Étude théorique de la réactivité des états excités des molécules organiques par la méthode des corrélations naturelles (Ph.D.). Université d'Orsay. OCLC 863642861.
5. "Les pionniers des magistères". Le Monde. 27 October 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
6. "La mort de Bernard Bigot". Le Monde. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
7. "Steady at the helm | Bernard Bigot accepts a second term". ITER. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
8. "Top management | ITER Council appoints new Director-General". ITER. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
9. "French scientist leading nuclear fusion project dies at 72". ABC News. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
10. "Passing of the ITER Director-General, Dr Bernard Bigot - European Commission". European Commission. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.

External links

• Media related to Bernard Bigot at Wikimedia Commons