Thomas Le Roux

Thomas Le Roux is a CNRS Research Fellow at the Centre de Recherches Historiques (CRH), part of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. He is a member of the GRHEN (Environmental History Research Group) and previously served as Director of the CRH from 2018 to 2022. His institutional affiliations include membership on the editorial committee of Social Movement, the Artefact reading committee, and the History Committee of the City of Paris.

Le Roux's research spans environmental, economic, and social history with particular focus on industrial risks, occupational health, and urban animals during the 18th-19th centuries. His influential work traces the historical development of industrial pollution, examining how societies have perceived, regulated, and responded to environmental challenges. His acclaimed book The Contamination of the World provides a comprehensive history of pollution during the industrial age, connecting historical analysis with contemporary environmental concerns. His research often bridges disciplinary boundaries, connecting historical analysis with contemporary environmental policy debates.

Le Roux's scholarly output reveals consistent thematic development across his career, with early work focusing on Parisian industrialization and pollution regulation evolving toward broader examinations of global industrial risks and environmental history. His publications demonstrate increasing engagement with interdisciplinary approaches that connect environmental history with economic, social, and political history, while maintaining a strong empirical foundation in archival research. Recent work shows growing attention to the relationship between historical industrial practices and contemporary ecological crises.

• Master's degree in history (1995): Jean-Bouvier Prize (1996)
• History thesis (2007): Prize from the Chancellery of the Universities of Paris (2008)
• History thesis (2007): Social History Prize (2009)
• Leader of the Emergences program – City of Paris (2011-2014)
• Augustin-Thierry Prize at the Blois History Meetings (2018) for The Contamination of the World

As a leading scholar in environmental history, Le Roux has directed significant research programs including the Emergences program on industrial risks and accidents. His work bridges academic research with public engagement, as evidenced by his frequent contributions to media discussions on industrial pollution and environmental history. He has edited special journal issues on recycling, industrial risk emergence, and contamination, fostering scholarly dialogue in his field. His research has been supported by institutional affiliations with CNRS and EHESS, along with specific project funding from the City of Paris.

Le Roux is an active member of the GRHEN (Environmental History Research Group), where he collaborates with other scholars to advance research on historical environmental issues. His work often involves interdisciplinary approaches that connect historical analysis with contemporary environmental challenges, making significant contributions to both academic scholarship and public understanding of environmental history. His research has influenced how historians and policymakers understand the longue durée of industrial pollution and risk management.