École normale supérieure de Lyon

Following the call for applications launched in 2023 for the 1% for art, the M8 building at ENS de Lyon will be enriched with a contemporary work of art: “Éclosion du visible” (Emergence of the Visible) by artist Capucine Vanderbrouck. A creation at the crossroads of art and science.

Lucie Étienne, Research Director at the International Research Center in Infectious Diseases (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/INSERM/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1/Hospices Civils de Lyon/Université Jean Monnet – Saint-Étienne) has just been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for the FUNEVO project. Photo credit © Sidaction - CNRS

Romain Graziani, professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and researcher at the Institut d'Asie Orientale, received the Académie des Belles-Lettres prize and the Sollers prize for his book Les Lois et les Nombres. Photo credit © Gallimard - Francesca Mantovani

Since the start of the 2025 academic year, missions to China, Japan, the United States, and Canada by the Vice President for International Relations have strengthened or initiated our relationships with major international universities.

According to a press release from Université Grenoble Alpes and the CNRS dated December 3, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, to which the Lyon Astrophysics Research Center (CRAL, CNRS / Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 / ENS de Lyon) of the Lyon Observatory of Universe Sciences contributed: “Characterization of debris disks observed with SPHERE.” Photo credit: © N. Engler et al./Astronomy & Astrophysics

At the INRIA - Académie des Sciences 2025 awards ceremony on November 25, Jean-Michel Muller, CNRS research director at LIP - Laboratoire de l'Informatique du Parallélisme (Inria Center in Lyon/CNRS/ENS de Lyon/UCBL), received the highest distinction, the INRIA Grand Prize.

The FluoroBreaker project, developed by students from the iGEM Lyon 2025 team, won a gold medal at the Grand Jamboree, the final event of this prestigious international synthetic biology competition.

On Monday, November 24, 2025, the team behind the “Les Jardins de la Physique 2.0” project, led by the École de Physique des Houches (Les Houches, CEA/CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Grenoble Alpes) in Haute-Savoie and the Institut d'Études Scientifiques de Cargèse (IESC, CNRS/ Université of Corsica Pasquale Paoli / Université Côte d'Azur) was awarded a CNRS Collective Crystal. Photo credit © CNRS Paris-Normandie

According to a CNRS publication dated November 18, 2025, based on a press release from the ESO (European Southern Observatory). On November 10, four lasers simultaneously pierced the sky at Cerro Paranal in Chile, marking a major milestone in the GRAVITY+ project, to which the Lyon Astrophysics Research Center (CRAL / OSUL – Sponsored by: CNRS / ENS de Lyon / Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1). Photo: Artist's rendering of the GRAVITY+ project on the VLT © ESO

According to a CNRS press release dated November 14, 2025. In January 2024, the CNRS launched a collective scientific study to examine the uses of rare earths from a circular economy perspective. The results of this study were presented on November 14, 2025, at a public symposium. This work, which draws on 4,100 scientific articles, aims to provide an integrated overview of the scientific knowledge available on the challenges and opportunities of responsible rare earth use. Romain Garcier, senior lecturer in geography at ENS de Lyon (CNRS/EVS), is one of the scientific leaders of this study, alongside Pascale Ricard (CNRS) and Clément Levard (CNRS). Photo credit: © Cyril Fresillon / Mecaware / CNRS Images

Renowned sociologist and political philosopher, professor at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and director of the Max Weber College at the University of Erfurt, Hartmut Rosa will honor us with his presence at ENS de Lyon on December 15, 2025, as part of the ceremony to award him an Honoris Causa Doctorate, followed by a public lecture in English entitled: “Acceleration, Alienation, and Resonance: Forms of Connecting with the World.” Here, we invite you to discover his rich professional and academic career, as well as the various scientific fields to which he has made significant contributions. Photo credit © Jürgen Scheere

The 2026 JoRISS call for Sino-French research projects is open as of October 19 2026.

According to a CNRS publication dated November 5, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Nature Communications to which Stéphane Santucci, a CNRS researcher at ENS de Lyon's Physics Laboratory (LPENSL), contributed: Multiscale stress dynamics in sheared liquid foams revealed by tomo-rheoscopy. Thumbnail credit: © CNRS

According to a communication from the CNRS dated November 12, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Nature Ecology & Evolution to which Lucie Étienne, CNRS research director at CIRI, and Alexandre Legrand, INSERM researcher and CIRI doctor, contributed: Evolutionary characterization of antiviral SAMD9/9L across kingdoms supports ancient convergence and lineage-specific adaptations. Thumbnail photo credit: © Cédric SUEUR/Marie PELE/IPHC/CNRS Images

According to a CNRS communication dated October 29, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Physical Review Letters to which Ludovic Bellon, a CNRS researcher at ENS de Lyon's Physics Laboratory (LPENSL), contributed: “Information Engine Fueled by First-Passage Times.” Thumbnail image: a Brownian particle (subject to thermal agitation) wanders in a confined well until it reaches a threshold, where an automated system (a demon) acts on the position of the well to extract energy from the particle. © Aubin Archambault, Caroline Crauste-Thibierge, Alberto Imparato, Christopher Jarzynski, Sergio Ciliberto, Ludovic Bellon.

The institutions of the ComUE Lyon Saint-Étienne have outlined their joint scientific strategy, with the announcement of two new interdisciplinary thematic institutes and two disciplinary coordination networks. This strategy is based on a dual disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach, with the aim of creating solid disciplinary foundations in both training and research and establishing networks designed to foster innovative scientific approaches to major societal challenges.

To celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence and French-American friendship, France has launched the Lafayette Fellowships, a new program offering 30 scholarships each year to American students who wish to spend a year pursuing a master’s degree in France. ENS de Lyon is proud to be among the 15 French host institutions for the laureates.

Isabelle Baraffe, member of CRAL, Corentin Herbert, member of LPENSL, and Édouard Bonnet, member of LIP, as well as nine alumni of ENS de Lyon – Charles-Édouard Brehier, Émilie Capron, Jeanne Costante (Crassous), Éric Falcon, Louis Fayard, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Yvon Maday, Hubert Saleur, and Jérémie Szeftel – have been distinguished at the 2025 French Academy of Sciences awards ceremony. Thumbnail photo © All rights reserved.

Léa Chazot Franguiadakis, researcher at LPENSL, and entrepreneur Typhaine Brual, incubated at ENS de Lyon, are among the winners of the French Government’s Innovation Competition, in the i-PhD category, which supports the development of emerging start-ups.

According to a CNRS communication dated October 16, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Current Biology to which the RDP laboratory at ENS de Lyon contributed: “Robust branch patterning in moss shoots via symplasmic auxin diffusion.” Image © Des Callaghan

National press release. The 4MOST instrument, installed in Chile on the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) VISTA telescope and developed largely by teams from the CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, and ENS de Lyon, has just achieved first light. This first ray of light from space, analyzed by the instrument's spectrographs, marks the beginning of a great adventure in studying and mapping the sky: thanks to its cutting-edge technology, 4MOST can study the light from 2,400 celestial objects simultaneously, every 15 minutes. Thumbnail image credit: Image: Roelof de Jong / AIP; Jens-Kristian Krogager / CRAL; background image: Harshwardhan Pathak / Telescope Live

According to a CNRS announcement dated September 29, 2025, based on a scientific publication in Nucleic Acids Research to which Vincent Mocquet, research fellow at ENS de Lyon within the LBMC, contributed. Thumbnail: The HTLV-1 retrovirus © Vincent Mocquet

According to a press release from the Lyon Observatory dated September 4, 2025, based on a scientific publication to which Elliot Lynch, researcher at CRAL (ENS de Lyon/CNRS/UCBL), contributed as part of an international team: “ALMA Reveals an Eccentricity Gradient in the Fomalhaut Debris Disk”, published in The Astrophysical Journal on September 4, 2025.

Mathieu Couttenier, professor of economics at ENS de Lyon and director of the CERGIC laboratory, has published L’Économie de la violence with Les Léonides (publisher).

The Artificial Intelligence Day, organized by AILyS at the Campus Région du numérique, aims to strengthen collaborations between researchers and businesses to foster innovative AI projects in the Lyon–Saint-Étienne area. Supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the event features conferences and thematic workshops focused on key fields such as health, chemistry, security, and digital frugality.

Thibaut Radomme is a senior lecturer in medieval literature at Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne and a researcher-teacher at the IHRIM laboratory. He has published the collective volume Des frères mendiants en français with Classiques Garnier.

According to a CNRS communication dated September 22, 2025, based on a scientific publication in Current Biology co-authored by Yoan Coudert, CNRS researcher at the RDP, ENS de Lyon, together with Saioa Ricou-Dreneuc and Claudine Ah-Peng: “Architectural shift to epiphytism fuels exotic bryophyte invasiveness.”

According to a CNRS communication dated September 22, 2025, following a scientific publication in PLOS Computational Biology co-authored by Lucie Riglet, Christophe Godin, and Isabelle Fobis-Loisy, researchers at the RDP, ENS de Lyon, together with Catherine Quilliet and Karin John from LIPhy, Université Grenoble Alpes.

At the start of the 2025 academic year, the ENS de Lyon welcomed 85 international students with an orientation week combining French language courses, thematic workshops, and guided visits designed to facilitate their integration. The welcome speeches encouraged curiosity, experimentation, and civic engagement, foundational values of the School.

Already acquitted four times, sociologist Pinar Selek will once again face Turkish justice on October 21, 2025. As part of the international academic community's mobilization, the Free University of Brussels organized a large solidarity demonstration on October 15, 2025. Among the personalities invited to show their support and speak out in defense of academic freedom, Emmanuel Trizac spoke on behalf of France Universités.

On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the Laboratory of Chemistry (LCH) at ENS de Lyon will host Professor Kenichiro Itami, invited through the CNRS Ambassador program. He will present a seminar on the topic of unexplored “carbon” functions.

According to a CNRS communication dated September 30, 2025. Based on a scientific publication in Astrophysical Journal to which Adnan-Ali Ahmad, a CNRS researcher at the Lyon Astrophysics Research Center (CRAL), contributed: “Brown Dwarf Formation Through Gravitational Collapse: Insights From 3D Numerical Simulations.” Image: © Adnan-Ali AHMAD and Alex ANDRIX – CRAL

Press release, Villeurbanne, October 9, 2025. The past of the planet Mars continues to captivate the scientific community. One question in particular remains unanswered: did oceans once cover the surface of the Red Planet? Recently, a research team, bringing together numerous French laboratories including the Lyon Geology Laboratory: Earth, Planets, Environment (LGL-TPE – Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 / ENS de Lyon / CNRS) and the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory (LAM – Aix Marseille Université / CNRS / CNES), has been studying the Northern Plains of Mars using various NASA and ESA probes orbiting Mars. They have published their new findings in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

Kshama Sharma, a postdoctoral researcher at the CRMN, is among the 2025 winners of the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award, a recognition that supports young female researchers in their careers.

“A Dense Neighborhood Lemma: Applications of Partial Concept Classes to Domination and Chromatic Number”: the paper co-authored by Romain Bourneuf, a PhD student at LIP and LaBRI (Bordeaux), Stéphan Thomassé, one of his PhD supervisors (LIP), and Pierre Charbit (IRIF, Université Paris Cité) has just been selected for the renowned scientific conference FOCS (Foundations of Computer Science).

Elected president of the Association of International Students (ASSET) in November 2024, Guilhian Biet, a dual Master’s student at ENS de Lyon, draws on his own international experience to support the welcome, guidance, and integration of international students.

As part of the ENS-IISER partnership, Kunal RAJPUT, IISER Mohali student, completed a three-month internship at the IGFL.

Researchers at the ESRF – the European Synchrotron –, together with CNRS, ENS de Lyon and the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, have unveiled how Atlantic Bluefin tuna transforms the toxic form of mercury into less harmful forms. Their study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, shows that the tuna’s edible muscle contains not only toxic methylmercury, but also mercury bound in stable, non-toxic compounds.

Full professor and research director at the School of Advanced Social Studies (IDAES) – National University of San MartínVisiting professor 2025-2026: January 10 to February 20, 2026Host researcher: Samir Boumedienne

Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Trieste.Visiting Professor 2025-2026: From January 5 to January 23, 2026, and from February 3 to February 13, 2026.Host Professor: Ludovic Bellon 

Associate Professor, Executive Director, and Academic Director within the Maine State University System - Monson Seminar.Visiting professor 2025-2026 from September 15 to October 15, 2025.Inviting professor: François Specq