Romain Graziani, professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and researcher at the Institute of East Asian Studies; and Henning Samtleben, professor of Physics at ENS de Lyon and member of LPENSL, were appointed senior members of the Institut Universitaire de France on May 21, 2026. Ten alumni of the School were also appointed.
On May 21, 2026, the Institut Universitaire de France announced the names of its new members, who will take office on October 1, 2026, for a five-year term.
Two faculty members from ENS de Lyon appointed as senior members of the IUF
Among the most recently appointed members are two faculty members from ENS de Lyon: Romain Graziani, professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and researcher at the Institute of East Asian Studies, and Henning Samtleben, professor of Physics at ENS de Lyon and member of the LPENSL. Both have been appointed as senior members and recipients of the Fundamental Chair.
“This appointment is a great honor and a source of great joy for me,” said Henning Samtleben. “I am deeply grateful to all my colleagues and students, without whom none of this would have been possible. It will enable me to continue my research under the best possible conditions at the Physics Laboratory of ENS de Lyon.”
Romain Graziani also expressed his pride following this appointment: “In my view, the IUF is a blessing for our country’s academic ecosystem. The delegation helps address many shortcomings that the current situation exacerbates. In particular, it relieves the mental pressure caused by a constant lack of time. It also addresses the financial constraints of UMRs (joint research units), which cannot always fund long-distance, extended missions. And retaining one-third of one’s teaching load is beneficial in every respect. For my part, I would be very upset to be relieved of all teaching duties for five years. It is the best form of five-year plan I know of—the most meritocratic and the least dictatorial!”
The IUF specifies that “faculty members appointed to the Institut universitaire de France are placed on secondment, [and] continue to work at their home institution while being relieved of two-thirds of their teaching duties.”
Ten alumni of the School were also appointed:
Junior Members
- Charles-Édouard Bréhier (2006 S LY), full professor of Mathematics, University of Pau and the Pays de l'Adour
- Yannick Herfray (2010 S LY), associate professor of Physics, University of Tours
- Sébastien Malaprade (2004 L LSH), associate professor, Modern History, University of Paris-Est Créteil
- Irène Marcovici (2007 S LY), full professor of Mathematics, University of Rouen Normandy
- Antonin Plarier (2008, History), associate professor of Contemporary History, University of Jean Moulin-Lyon 3
Senior Members
- Gilles Carron (1987 S LY), full professor, University of Nantes
- Guillaume Cuchet (1993 L FC), full professor, Contemporary History, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
- Arnaud Debussche (1984 S SC), full professor, Mathematics, École normale supérieure de Rennes
- Nathalie Grande (1989 L FC), full professor, 17th-century French literature, University of Nantes
- Alain Schaffner (1983 L FT), full professor, French literature, Sorbonne Nouvelle University