Brechignac Catherine

Catherine Brechignac is a distinguished French physicist affiliated with the Institut de France as a member of the Académie des sciences (Division 1). She held prominent leadership roles including President of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) (2006–2010), Director General of CNRS (1997–2000), and President of the Institut d'optique théorique et appliquée (2003). She currently serves as "Secrétaire perpétuel" of the Académie des sciences since 2011.

• Fields of Scholarship: Cluster physics, atomic and molecular physics, and optical theory and practice.
• Honors and Awards: Commander of the Légion d'honneur, CNRS Silver Medal, Holweck Prize, and multiple Doctor Honoris Causa degrees from Freie Universität Berlin, Georgia Tech, and École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.