Bernard Bigot
Abstract:
The challenges imposed both by the unavoidable increase of the energy demand, whatever the amount of energy savings which have to be implemented in any case, and the progressive reduction of the availability of the fossil resources which represent now over 80% of the world energy consumption, associated the potentially damaging effects of a massive burning of fossil fuels on climate and environment in the meanwhile, raise the question of the long term worldwide security of energy supply and call for aggressive R&D programs.
There is real need is to develop sustainable low-carbon, safe, environmentally benign and economically competitive technologies as nuclear and renewable energies to build a flexible energy mix adapted to the specific needs of each country.
Some of the scientific challenges in the field of nuclear fission technologies, nuclear fusion technologies, solar technologies, biomass transformation and electricity storage technologies will be addressed.
Bernard Bigot - Biography#
Bernard Bigot is Professor of the French Universities and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in France.Born in 1950, Bernard Bigot is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure. He is now “classe exceptionnelle” University Professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon. He is the author of several over 70 publications in the field of theoretical chemistry applied to the detailed understanding of the chemical reactions and materials sciences.
Bernard Bigot was the Deputy Director, in charge of the Studies and ran a laboratory at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon from 1981 to 1993. From 1993 to 1997, he served as the Head of the Scientific and Technical Mission, then as the Director General of Research and Technology, at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. After returning to Lyon, he worked as the Deputy Director of Research at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (1998-2000) and then as the Director (2000-2003). He also directed the CNRS catalysis research institute from 1998 to 2002. He served as the chief of staff (Directeur du Cabinet) of Claudie Haigneré (Minister Delegate for Research and New Technologies) and the deputy chief of staff (Directeur adjoint du Cabinet) of Luc Ferry (Minister of Youth, National Education and Research), in 2002 and 2003.
He became the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy in 2003, and was appointed in early 2009 as the Chairman and CEO of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA is a national R&D agency with over 16 000 employees working in the field of defence and global security, nuclear and renewable energies, information and communication technologies, health technologies and the related basic sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, material sciences,…) with special emphasis on the conception, building and intensive use of world class large facilities).
