Sandrine Sagan appointed Deputy CEO for Science of the CNRS
Corporate
Thierry Dauxois, Chairman & CEO of the CNRS, has appointed Sandrine Sagan as Deputy CEO for Science of the CNRS, effective 1 August 2026. She is currently serving as the Director of CNRS Chemistry, and will succeed Alain Schuhl, whose term ends in late July.
Thierry Dauxois underscored his conviction that Sandrine Sagan will uphold the values of our institution and unite our teams around the challenges of the future: “I would like to entrust this responsibility to a recognized scientist, whose scientific qualities, human qualities, experience, and vision will advance the ambitions of the CNRS in the years to come.”
At his side, Sagan will lead the institution’s scientific policy, with the primary missions of:
reinforcing scientific activity between institutes, with interdisciplinary playing a key role;
pursuing substantive efforts towards evolving and harmonising the cultures of our institutes;
coordinating the action of our institutes and establishing partnerships with research actors in both France and abroad;
leading our initiatives on strategic issues such as open science, research infrastructure, the environmental transition, and corporate social responsibility (CSR);
promoting dialogue between all disciplines, and encouraging our organisation to address major societal challenges through research.
The holder of a PhD in molecular pharmacology, Sagan was recruited by the CNRS in 1993, at the age of 28. A specialist in the chemistry and pharmacology of peptides, she was initially part of the Mechanisms of Enzymatic Reactions Laboratory, which subsequently became the Synthesis, Structure, and Function of Bioactive Molecules Laboratory, then the Laboratory of Biomolecules (Sorbonne Université/ CNRS/ENS-PSL)–which she directed from January 2014 to September 2020–and ultimately the Physical Chemistry and Chemistry of Living Organisms Laboratory on 1 January 2025.
Her interdisciplinary research explores the chemistry of living organisms, notably the design and functioning of bioactive molecules using quantitative approaches, with a view to better understanding fundamental mechanisms.
Sagan joined CNRS management in October 2020 as the Deputy Scientific Director of CNRS Chemistry, and was reappointed for this position on 1 January 2025, before becoming the Director of CNRS Chemistry on 16 June 2025.
In addition to her research activities, from 2012 to 2016 Sagan was appointed to a section devoted to chemistry and living organisms at the National Committee for Scientific Research, along with various scientific advisory boards and panels for recruitment and assessment in both France and abroad. In 2023, she was named a Distinguished Senior Member of the Chemical Society of France.
