Chantal Andraud, director of the Chemistry Laboratory, was pleased to celebrate a new turning point in the history of chemistry at ENS de Lyon. Along with the three institutions of tutelage, she paid tribute to a laboratory that has played an important role in ENS de Lyon’s history for the last 30 years.

Jean-François Pinton, president of the ENS de Lyon, and Jacques Maddaluno, director of the CNRS Institute of Chemistry, both highlighted the many strong partnerships that exist between the laboratory and the industrial world (Solvay, Total, L'Oréal, etc.) and also with international institutions. The Chemistry Laboratory is at the origin of the only International Joint Research Unit in China, the E2P2L, dedicated to eco-innovation. It is also a partner of the first International Joint Research Unit in South Korea, 2B-FUEL, dedicated to organic electronics.

The three pillars of the Chemistry Laboratory - supramolecular chemistry and biological chemistry; functional and photonic materials; and theoretical chemistry - are largely sponsored by the CNRS as they fit perfectly with the center’s principal objectives.

Frédéric Fleury, president of the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, apologized for his absence but congratulated everyone who has worked to create an appealing laboratory whose reputation now attracts many researchers. Over the last four years, three researchers have been recruited and four other researchers have chosen to work at ENS de Lyon.

The quality of the ecosystem in which the laboratory works (ENS de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Labex, IDEX Chairs, IFP New Energy, etc.) was highlighted during the presentation, as well as the excellence of its partners. Chemistry at ENS de Lyon must be sustained as it has long demonstrated an ability to tackle major contemporary challenges.

Indeed, the Chemistry Laboratory has strong links with the School, and their connection is symbolized by this unique building.

The company NEOLYS, which carried out the construction work, along with Plan Campus team, presented the M6 building. It has undergone many modifications to accommodate chemists: premises have been renovated; about 50 fume cupboards have been fitted; improvements made to laboratories; telephone and computer networks have been installed as well as a substation for district heating. Initiated in 2017 and completed in the summer of 2018, the work was carried out while the site was still in use. The building was entirely finished in April 2019.

To close this inauguration ceremony, the members of the laboratory invited those present to go on a guided tour of the premises. During the visit, researchers from other faculties, students and administrators, were all able to discover what lies behind the scenes of this reputed chemistry laboratory.

Portrait of a space

Sarah Gautier, a former doctoral student at the Chemistry Laboratory, has changed careers to become an illustrator. Before the official inauguration of the M6 building, she spent three days in the chemistry laboratory to create a detailed drawing of the experiment room. This "portrait of a space" brings together the various elements related to chemistry research. The artist makes an allusion to her time spent in the former lab as we can see various copies of theses on the shelves, including her own, defended in 2015 under the direction of Philippe Sautet entitled "High-recovery catalytic reactivity: a theoretical approach".

 More information about Sarah Gautier: http://sarahgautier.fr