François Rousset, researcher at the International Research Center in Infectious Diseases (CIRI) and head of the “Molecular Genomics of Microorganisms” team, was awarded the Paoletti Prize on January 7, 2026, a prize that recognizes promising young scientists in all fields of biology. Photo credit © CNRS
Honoring promising young scientists across all disciplines of biology and recognizing the commitment and emerging contributions of early-career researchers: these are the objectives of the Paoletti Prize, awarded each year by the CNRS in tribute to Claude Paoletti, former director of the CNRS Life Sciences Department and a fervent supporter of young researchers.
On January 7, 2026, this prize was awarded to François Rousset, a researcher at the International Research Center in Infectious Diseases (CIRI) and head of the “Molecular Genomics of Microorganisms” team within this laboratory.
After completing a PhD in microbiology at the Pasteur Institute under the supervision of David Bikard (2017-2020), François Rousset joined Rotem Sorek's team at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2021 for his postdoctoral studies. His work has revealed new antiviral defense strategies in bacteria and eukaryotes. Recruited by the CNRS as a research fellow in 2024, he created the “Molecular Genomics of Microorganisms” team at the International Research Center in Infectious Diseases (CIRI) in Lyon that same year. He is a recipient of the ATIP-Avenir 2024 program and the ERC Starting Grant 2025.
Today, François Rousset studies the interactions between bacteria and their viruses, known as phages. For nearly four billion years, bacteria and phages have been engaged in a veritable evolutionary race: bacteria develop defense systems, while phages invent “anti-defense” strategies to circumvent them. Some of these factors are the evolutionary ancestors of components of the immune system in complex organisms. François Rousset's team is exploring these mechanisms in order to identify, based on phage-bacteria interactions, new players in the conflicts between viruses and cells.