Jean-Pierre Bourguignon and Francis Brown elected Fellows of The Royal Society

IHES is proud to share that Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, former Director of IHES, and Francis Brown, former CNRS Researcher at IHES, have been elected Fellows of The Royal Society.

Founded in London in 1660, the Royal Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific academies in the world. Election as a Fellow, reserved for individuals who have made exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge, is a rare distinction that reflects both the excellence of the laureates and the international standing of IHES as one of the world’s leading research institutes in mathematics and theoretical physics.

A specialist in differential geometry and researcher at the CNRS, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon led IHES for nearly twenty years, from 1994 to 2013. After stepping down as Director, he went on to serve as President of the European Research Council (ERC). His commitment to IHES has continued well beyond his directorship, and he remains Nicolaas Kuiper Honorary Professor at the Institute. A Permanent Professor Chair endowed by a mathematician friend now bears his name, testifying to the profound and lasting impact he has had on IHES.

A specialist in algebraic geometry and quantum field theory, Francis Brown is a Franco-British mathematician currently serving as Professor of Mathematics at University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, The University of Oxford. Francis Brown has maintained a longstanding relationship with IHES, where he has been a frequent visitor in many capacities: as a PhD student, postdoctoral fellow, CNRS researcher, and holder of the Gelfand Chair. Since 2024, he also serves as Chair of IHES Trust UK, the Institute’s partner organization in the United Kingdom.

IHES extends its warmest congratulations to Jean-Pierre Bourguignon and Francis Brown on this well-deserved distinction, which honors the entire scientific community of the Institute.