Gilles Bloch
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Gilles Bloch (born 19 July 1961) is a French polytechnicien,
doctor of medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
and researcher in
molecular biophysics Molecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology. It seeks to understand biomolecular systems and explain biological function in ter ...
, specializing in muscle and brain
metabolism Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...
. He was director general of research and innovation from 2006 to 2009, then president of
Paris-Saclay University Paris-Saclay University (, ) is a combined technological research institute and public research university in Orsay, France. Paris-Saclay was established in 2019 after the merger of four technical ''grandes écoles,'' as well as several technol ...
between 2015 and 2018, and president of
Inserm The (Inserm, ) is the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. History and organisation Inserm was created in 1964 as a successor to the French National Institute of Health. Inserm is the only public research institution ...
between 2019 and 2023. Since September 2023, he has served as President of the
National Museum of Natural History, France The French National Museum of Natural History ( ; abbr. MNHN) is the national natural history museum of France and a of higher education part of Sorbonne University. The main museum, with four galleries, is located in Paris, France, within the ...
.


Biography

Gilles Bloch was born in Pointe-à-Pitre,. Guadeloupe on July 19, 1961..


Studies

He entered the
École polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...
in 1981,De la promotion X1981, cf
le site de l'association des anciens élèves de l'École polytechnique (l'AX)
Site de la bibliothèque de l'École polytechnique
onglet « ''Catalogues de la BCX –> Famille polytechnicienne'' », recherche « Bloch Gilles », résultat : « Bloch, Gilles Fernand (X1981) ».
and then studied biophysics and medicine: he obtained a PhD in molecular biophysics in 1989 from the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, and a PhD in medicine in 1991 from the Paris-Diderot University. He also holds a
Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
to Supervise Research..


Professional career

In 1989, he joined the
in vivo Studies that are ''in vivo'' (Latin for "within the living"; often not italicized in English) are those in which the effects of various biological entities are tested on whole, living organisms or cells, usually animals, including humans, an ...
NMR spectroscopy Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), is a spectroscopic technique based on re-orientation of atomic nuclei with non-zero nuclear spins in an external magnetic f ...
laboratory of the Service hospitalier Frédéric-Joliot (SHFJ) within the CEA biology department. He participated in the development of the very first in vivo
nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine (nuclear radiology, nucleology), is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactivity, radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging is, in a sense, ''radiology done inside out'', ...
elements. He worked there until 1997 and became a specialist in muscle and brain metabolism. During this period, his post-doctorate took him to
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, in the laboratory of
Robert G. Shulman Robert Gerson Shulman (born March 3, 1924) is an American biophysicist and Sterling Professor Emeritus of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and a senior research scientist at the Department Diagnostic Radiology at Yale University. Early lif ...
, one of the pillars of
nuclear magnetic resonance Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are disturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field (in the near field) and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with a ...
. In 1997, he was appointed head of the laboratory at the Frédéric-Joliot Hospital in
Orsay Orsay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in ÃŽle-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. A fortifie ...
(1997-2000), then head of the "nuclear medicine and functional imaging" segment; he was appointed deputy director of the CEA's Life Sciences Directorate in 2001. He left the CEA in June 2002 to join the cabinet of
Claudie Haigneré Claudie (André-Deshays) Haigneré (; born 13 May 1957) is a French doctor, politician and former astronaut. She was the Women in space, first female astronaut of the CNES, French space agency CNES and the ESA, European Space Agency (ESA) to go ...
, who had just been appointed Minister for Research and New Technologies. In April 2004, when Haigneré left the government, Gilles Bloch became deputy director of the cabinet of
François d'Aubert François d'Aubert (born 31 October 1943, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French politician. He is an auditor at the Court of Audit (France), Court of Audit. From 2002, he was minister delegate to research in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government. ...
, the new minister in charge of Research. During the debates preceding the vote on Law No. 2004-800 of August 6, 2004, on bioethics, he declared
"There is no question of France importing cells that would have been produced under unethical conditions. The law specifies that these cells must have been obtained in compliance with the fundamental principles set out in the civil code: free consent, free of charge, inviolability of the body, and anonymity. They may not come from an embryo created for research purposes, a possibility that remains prohibited by law.
In February 2005,
François d'Aubert François d'Aubert (born 31 October 1943, in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French politician. He is an auditor at the Court of Audit (France), Court of Audit. From 2002, he was minister delegate to research in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government. ...
chose Gilles Bloch as the first director of the new National Research Agency (ANR), whose purpose is to fund public research and "partnership" research in France. Presenting an initial assessment after nine months, Gilles Bloch is pleased with the smooth running of the agency. Gilles Bloch acknowledged "youthful errors" in an assessment that was called into question by the publication of the report ''La recherche sans qualités: un audit indépendant de l'Agence nationale de la recherche'' by
Marc Flandreau Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system ...
. In May 2006, he was appointed Director General of Research and Innovation at the Ministry of Research.. Gilles Bloch is thus an important player in the organization of research in France, an organization based on: * orientation: definition of major national policies (creation of the Strategy Directorate, the High Council for Science and Technology) * programming: translating objectives into research programs (creation of agencies that have since been merged into Oséo) * implementation: creation of tools available to operators, in particular to help create world-class leaders, build local strategies and strengthen partnerships with companies. In 2007,
Valérie Pécresse Valérie Anne Émilie Pécresse (; Birth name, née Roux ; 14 July 1967) is a French politician who has been the President of the Regional Council (France), President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France since 2015. A member of The Republic ...
, the new Minister of Research, confirmed Gilles Bloch as Director General of Research and Innovation. He entrusted Jean-Pierre Alix with a mission on scientific integrity, which led to a report in September 2010. On September 1, 2009, a press release from the Ministry indicated that he was leaving his position at his own request. He was then appointed head of the Life Sciences Directorate, one of the five directorates of the
French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, or CEA ( French: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), is a French public government-funded research organisation in the areas of energy, defense and sec ...
. He is particularly active in promoting the integration of young PhDs into the business world. Gilles Bloch chaired the scientific interest group "Infrastructures in biology, health and agronomy" created in May 2007 and the Conference of University Presidents (CPU), and the two directorates DGRI and DGES of the
Ministry of Higher Education and Research The Minister of Higher Education and Research (formerly Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation or ) is a French government ministers, cabinet position in the Cabinet of France, French Government overseeing university-level educatio ...
. He is vice-president of the FondaMental Foundation founded by
Valérie Pécresse Valérie Anne Émilie Pécresse (; Birth name, née Roux ; 14 July 1967) is a French politician who has been the President of the Regional Council (France), President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France since 2015. A member of The Republic ...
, a scientific cooperation foundation dedicated to mental illness, which he chaired in 2011. On June 10, 2015, Gilles Bloch was elected President of the
University of Paris-Saclay Paris-Saclay University (, ) is a combined Research institute, technological research institute and Public university, public research university in Orsay, France. Paris-Saclay was established in 2019 after the merger of four technical ''grandes ...
by the Board of Directors of the ComUE, succeeding Dominique Vernay who had held this position since January 2015. At the same time, he became President of the Paris-Saclay Scientific Cooperation Foundation, which coordinates the campus operation and the Idex project. On November 26, 2018, Gilles Bloch was appointed President of
Inserm The (Inserm, ) is the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. History and organisation Inserm was created in 1964 as a successor to the French National Institute of Health. Inserm is the only public research institution ...
. He took office on January 2, 2019. On January 13, 2023,
French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
chose Professor
Didier Samuel __NOTOC__ Didier is a French masculine given name and surname common throughout the Romance languages. It comes from the Ancient Roman name Didius. During the 5th century AD, with the Christianisation of ancient pagan names, it became associated w ...
, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Paris-Saclay, to succeed him as President of Inserm. In September 2023, Gilles Bloch became President of the
National Museum of Natural History, France The French National Museum of Natural History ( ; abbr. MNHN) is the national natural history museum of France and a of higher education part of Sorbonne University. The main museum, with four galleries, is located in Paris, France, within the ...
, succeeding .


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloch, Gillies 1961 births Living people 20th-century French physicians 21st-century French physicians People from Pointe-à-Pitre École Polytechnique alumni Pierre and Marie Curie University alumni Paris Diderot University alumni Paris-Saclay University people Inserm directors Nuclear medicine physicians French molecular biologists French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission Knights of the Legion of Honour