Françoise Combes, CNRS Gold Medal 2020

Françoise Combes, Professor at the Collège de France, holder of the Galaxies and Cosmology Chair, member of the Observatoire de Paris, is the 2020 recipient of the CNRS Gold Medal, one of France's highest and most prestigious scientific honors. Françoise Combes has been a professor at the Collège de France since 2014, and Vice-President of the Collège de France Assembly since September 2019.

Prof. Thomas Römer, Administrator of the Collège de France, was delighted with the announcement: "Following in the footsteps of our colleagues Alain Connes, Serge Haroche, Philippe Descola, Gérard Berry and Claire Voisin, the award of the 2020 CNRS Gold Medal to Françoise Combes consecrates an exceptional scientific career, which is a credit to the Collège de France and to the excellence of French research."

Three questions for Françoise Combes

What stage did the Collège de France represent in your scientific career?

My election to the Collège de France was for me a consecration, a recognition, as well as an opportunity to give lectures to a vast and enthusiastic public, motivated to learn about the latest discoveries, and to follow the science being done in the laboratories. As the teaching is renewed every year, the preparation of lectures on different subjects leads to a complete review of the subject, and this is the best way for the teacher to perfect his or her knowledge! So there's a strong link with research activities. The Collège is also an opportunity to meet and rub shoulders with great personalities in all fields, and to take part in highly enriching discussions.

How do your lectures reflect the Collège de France's essential mission of disseminating knowledge? What does this mission mean to you?

The public at Collège de France is very specific and varied. They can be thesis students, who have to take a series of lectures to open up to new fields, or amateurs with a passion for a discipline, scientific or otherwise, but always very curious. My field is to discover where we come from, how all the structures, galaxies and stars around us were formed, and this curiosity is universal. Regardless of their scientific background, audiences need to be able to learn something, and have the joy of understanding. So I try to bring out the essentials of knowledge on a given subject, to explain the main aims of our research, with just enough technical detail to make the discoveries understandable. It's not necessary to understand everything, but everyone should be able to find something to learn from it. This means translating the language of research.

What advice or recommendations would you give today to a young person attracted to science, or to a young researcher at the start of his or her career, among those who listen to your lectures at the Collège de France?

Young people are passionate about research, starting a thesis and wondering whether they'll be able to continue and find their place in this field, making it their career. While it's relatively easy to find a temporary job for 2 or 3 years, it's much harder to land a permanent position. It's important not to get discouraged, but to persevere in your vocation and make your dream come true. The search is hard work, but it also brings a lot of satisfaction, and the joy of discovery. I particularly encourage young women to persevere, as they are often more sensitive to uncertainties about their future and their family.