Sonia Goldblum joined ENS de Lyon two years ago as a full professor, affiliated with IHRIM (Institute for the History of Representations and Ideas in Modernities). She specializes in the history of German ideas from the 18th to the 20th century, with a particular focus on the intellectual history of German Jewry. An alumna of the school, she held a junior fellowship at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies and is actively involved in fostering collaborations between French and German higher education institutions. She will serve as a member of the board of directors.
In her role as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Sonia Goldblum will be supported by Sarah Mombert, Head of the Humanities and Social Sciences competitive exam, in addition to the Head of the Science competitive exam who is already in office.
Two years after your appointment at ENS de Lyon, what motivated you to take on this role?
First of all, I have a deep attachment to the school, where I was once a student and have now returned as a faculty member. For me, it was an opportunity to express my gratitude to the school, which has opened so many doors for me. I took the time to reflect and carefully weigh my decision, because it is a demanding role. But I also thought that it is not necessary to wait until the end of one’s career to take on governance responsibilities, and that this could be a stimulating step in my professional journey. I arrived at the same time as Emmanuel Trizac, and I look forward to contributing to the institutional project he is leading.
From the perspective of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, what does it mean to continue making ENS de Lyon “a Grande École research institution serving public interest”?
The school is an “old house” with a high level of academic recognition. But in order to maintain its attractiveness, particularly for students, we need to ensure that it is seen as an institution actively engaged with the major societal challenges our students face, such as transitions, especially climate change and artificial intelligence. The launch of the CHELS inter-institutional diploma and the addition of a core curriculum course on social and ecological transitions reflect this commitment. We also need to adapt to the evolving profiles of applicants and develop a broad understanding of what an ENS student can contribute to society. I am thinking here primarily of the training provided at ENS de Lyon, which is recognized through the ENS de Lyon Degree, and not just the status of trainee civil servant.
What do you mean by “evolving profiles”?
For several years, the school has been reflecting on social inclusion, aiming to welcome a more diverse range of students and better reflect society as a whole. This includes gender diversity, as seen, for example, in initiatives in Mathematics and Computer Science programs or the CPES “Sciences et Société”, but also diversity in geographic and social backgrounds, as well as previous academic paths. We aim to broaden the profiles of students admitted based on their academic records, particularly to welcome more students coming from university programs. The Cécile DeWitt-Morette scholarship, which will fund four years of study for six female students in Mathematics and Computer Science starting this year, is a concrete example of this commitment.
Beyond the diversity of incoming students, we also need to broaden the range of opportunities and career paths our graduates pursue after completing their studies at ENS de Lyon. Research-based training provides valuable skills even for students who do not intend to pursue academic careers. The strong results our students achieve each year in the competitive exams for the grands corps of the French State clearly demonstrate this: this year, six of our students were admitted to positions out of nine available.
What can research-based training offer beyond teaching and academic careers?
By training students through research, we encourage them to understand the importance of evidence in the scientific approach and how it is developed. They learn to formulate hypotheses, identify the best methods to test them, and present well-grounded results. In today’s world, where our relationship with reality and the facts is often unstable, this rigorous approach is valuable across all fields and needed in every sector: senior civil service, politics, industry, and business. I am convinced that our students will have much to contribute and demonstrate across a wide range of career paths.
What message or advice would you like to give to students?
Just recently, I told one of my PhD students: “Don’t stay alone!”. I strongly believe in teamwork and in openness, whether within disciplines or at the international level. In one word, I believe in exchange.
The Monod campus and the world of the exact and experimental sciences are still things I have yet to discover, and I look forward to it. Whatever our disciplinary practices may be, we have so much to learn from one another, both in teaching and in research. Of course, there are fundamental differences between the humanities and social sciences and the exact sciences, but here, within the school, we are fortunate to be able to work across disciplines, encouraging dialogue between them and among ourselves. It is a kind of transdisciplinarity in action. Nurturing a collective spirit must also happen at this level.
International openness is another key priority. Today, it is essential for research, whether in the exact sciences or in the humanities. In terms of education, it is important for us to be part of European and international networks that could facilitate student exchanges. I often remind them that it is through their study-abroad experiences that they begin to build research networks that take shape through the personal connections they make during their time abroad. These networks, just like those we as faculty have built, create the opportunities students could benefit from during their studies.
For example, thanks to the academic ties I developed with Germany over the course of my academic career, I will continue to oversee exchanges with Germany in the humanities and social sciences.
To conclude, is there anything you would like to create for ENS students in the future?
At the school, we have a major asset: the simultaneous presence of the Department of Education and Digital Humanities, the Education Laboratory (LLE), and the French Institute of Education (IFÉ). Together, these strengths place us at the very heart of pedagogical innovation, and we will need to rethink a number of practices in light of artificial intelligence and the broader societal transitions under way.
Take the question of assessment, for example. How can we move beyond seeing AI only as a risk of fraud, which is a real concern, to also view it as a new opportunity for learning? And under what conditions? In language learning, for instance, the more skills students acquire, the better equipped they are to integrate AI into their learning processes and turn it into a tool for autonomy. What role do we want AI to play in the teaching of literature and the humanities and social sciences? It is a genuine and fascinating challenge, especially since we, as faculty, are discovering AI’s uses at the same time as our students.
Ultimately, what I wish for ENS students, whether tomorrow or twenty years from now, is that they are able to ask questions that rise to the challenges of their time, and do so freely.