Irène Joliot-Curie Prize: Valentina Emiliani named Woman Scientist of the Year

Since 2001, the prize has honoured 70 women scientists recognised for cutting-edge research in science and technology in France. Awarded by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research, with the Académie des sciences and the Académie des technologies overseeing the jury, the five prize categories promote the vital role of women in French research.

An Italo-French alumna at the forefront

The 24th edition of the Joliot-Curie Prize, which seeks to “combat gender stereotypes and self-censorship”, shines a spotlight on a researcher whose career spans Europe. Valentina Emiliani, winner of the top Woman Scientist of the Year award, is Italian-born and pursued her academic path across the continent before choosing to build her career in France.

She began her scientific studies in Rome at Sapienza Università di Roma, where she completed a PhD in physics. She then undertook postdoctoral research in Germany at the Max Born Institute in Berlin, studying “the optical properties of quantum structures”, followed by work at the Institut Jacques Monod in France between 2002 and 2004. She joined the CNRS in 2004.

Now Director of Research at the Institut de la Vision (CNRS/Inserm/Sorbonne Université), she heads the Photonics Department and leads the Wave Front Engineering Microscopy group, dedicated to the “optical control of neural circuits”, a cutting-edge field in neuroscience and optics. According to the CNRS, her work has paved the way for “fully optical manipulation of brain circuits”, advancing understanding of brain function.

Women scientist with international careers

The other three laureates also reflect strong international profiles. Maïmouna Bocoum, a CNRS researcher at the Institut Langevin in Paris, holds a doctorate in physics and engineering qualifications obtained in France. In 2024, she secured a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship to conduct research in Copenhagen, Denmark, on quantum sensors. Her work develops innovative acousto-optic imaging techniques for in vivo biomedical applications, combining optics and ultrasound.

Kristel Chanard, a researcher at the Institut national de l’information géographique et forestière, works at the intersection of geodesy, geophysics and hydrology. After completing a PhD in geophysics at the École normale supérieure and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, she was recruited in 2017 and now conducts her research at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.

Eva Maire, the third laureate, joined the Institut de recherche pour le développement in 2024 at the Marine Biodiversity laboratory. Specialising in tropical socio-ecosystems, she is also a professional diver, with more than 1,000 scientific dives worldwide. Since 2014, she has carried out research missions in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.

The Woman, Research and Enterprise Prize goes to a international specialist in materials 

In the “Woman, Research and Enterprise” category, the prize was awarded to Astrid Perlade, a leading metallurgist and currently Scientific Lead and Technical Coordinator of a department of around 100 researchers at ArcelorMittal Global R&D.

After graduating as an engineer from École des Mines de Paris and completing a PhD in metallurgy, she joined ArcelorMittal’s R&D campus to work on “computer-assisted metallurgy projects modelling the physical links between microstructures and mechanical properties”. From 2011, she led an international research team (Metallurgy, Megatrends and Hot-Rolled Products) developing “increasingly innovative steels, particularly for the automotive market”. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 scientific papers in international journals and holds around 30 patents.

A shared commitment to equality

As the Ministry stresses, these scientists share a common commitment. Like Valentina Emiliani, who is particularly active in promoting gender equality in science, they advocate for stronger female representation in research.

They promote gender balance in recruitment and engage in mentoring, science outreach, inclusion training, school engagement and public dissemination initiatives, both in France and abroad. Eva Maire, for instance, has mentored female students in Kenya. Maïmouna Bocoum will also feature as the central figure in a forthcoming documentary highlighting her journey as a woman scientist, “aimed at strengthening the visibility of young female researchers”.

A Special Prize for Commitment, recognising a woman scientist particularly invested in encouraging girls and young people to pursue science, will be awarded and announced by the Ministry in early 2026.