Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, the 2nd president of the European
Mathematical Society (1995-98), will be the next president of the
European Research Council (ERC). Professor Bourguignon was nominated
for this position by the EMS to a search committee set up by the
European Commission.
Since 2007, the ERC has funded European top researchers through grants
(ERC starting grants, consolidator grants, advanced grants, proof of
concept and synergy grants) given on the base of applications that are
evaluated by expert panels. In Horizon 2020, the ERC appears as a
crucial component in the EU long-term research strategy to support the
most talented and creative scientists in blue-sky research.
As a mathematician, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon is well known for his
contributions to modern differential geometry. He was the president of
the French Mathematical Society SMF (1990-1992). Since 1994, and until
his retirement in August 2013, he has served mathematicians and
physicists all over the world as director of the prestigious research
centre Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques at Bures-sur-Yvette
close to Paris.
Through his remarkable activity, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon has promoted
collaboration between mathematicians and researchers from other
sciences. He also has been enthusiastically involved in activities
raising the public awareness of mathematics, like films and exhibitions.
The EMS congratulates him very warmly for this achievement and looks
forward with great pleasure to good benefits for the ERC and for
science in Europe under his leadership.
The European Mathematical Society
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L’Unione Matematica Italiana si associa nel fare a Jean-Pierre Bourguignon le sue congratulazioni e nell’augurargli buon lavoro.