The French Academy of Sciences (Acad mie des sciences) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the forefront of scientific developments in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.

History

The Academy of Sciences owes its origin to Colbert's plan to create a general academy. He chose a small group of scholars who met on December 22, 1666 in the King's library, and thereafter held twice-weekly working meetings there. The first 30 years of the Academy's existence were relatively informal, since no statutes had as yet been laid down for the institution.

On January 20, 1699, Louis XIV gave the Company its first rules. The Academy received the title of Royal Academy of Sciences and was installed in the Louvre in Paris. On August 8, 1793, the National Convention abolished all the academies. On August 22, 1795, a National Institute of Sciences and Arts was put in place, bringing together the old academies of the sciences, literature and arts. In 1816, the Academy of Sciences became autonomous, while forming part of the Institute of France; the head of State remained its patron.

The Academy today

Today the Academy is one of five academies comprising the French Institute. Its members are elected for life. Currently there are 150 full members, 300 corresponding members, and 120 foreign associates. They are divided into two scientific groups: the Mathematical and Physical sciences and their applications and the Chemical, Biological, Geological and Medical sciences and their applications.

Current Members

A

Anatole Abragam - Claude Jean All gre - Christian Andr Amatore - Jean-Claude Pierre Andr - Jacques Fran ois Olivier Angelier - Vladimir Igorevich Arnol'd - Jacques Jean Arsac - Philippe Ascher - Alain Aspect - Ivan Andr Albert Assenmacher - Sir Michael Francis Atiyah - Thierry milien Flavien Aubin - Jean Armand Aubouin - Pierre Auger

B

Jean-Fran Bach - George Edward Backus - Jean Roger Balian - John Mac Leod Ball - David Baltimore - Neil Bartlett - Jean-Marie Maurice Basset - tienne- mile Baulieu - Klaus Bechgaard - Alim-Louis Benabid - Christophe Benoist - Alain Beno t - Henri Charles Beno t - Alain Bensoussan - Pierre Marc Benveniste - Seymour Benzer - Paul Berg - Andr Berger - Marcel Berger - Sune Bergstr m - Jean Alfred Bernard - G rard Berry - Erwin F lix Bertaut (Lewy-Bertaut)Alain Berthoz - Guy Bertrand - Albert Bijaoui - Jean-Paul Binet - Jean-Michel Philippe Marie-Jos Bismut - Jacques mile Blamont - Sylvain Blanquet - Guy Blaudin de Th - Brebis Bleaney - Nicolaas Bloembergen - David Mervyn Blow - Jo rard Bockaert - Enrico Bombieri - Jean-Louis Bonnemain - Jean-Michel Bony - Christian Jean Raoul Bord - Armand Borel - Raoul Bott - Claude Charles Bouchiat - Marie-Anne Bouchiat - Alain Michel Boudet - Jean Bourgain - Joseph Marie Bov - Pierre Braunstein - Catherine chignac - Sydney Brenner - douard Br zin - Ha m Brezis - G rard Bricogne - Fran Georges Ren Bruhat - Huy Duong Bui - Pierre Albert Buser

C

Bernard Cabane - Henri Cabannes - Michel Caboche - Jacques Philippe Caen - S bastien Mathieu Candel - Nicole Capitaine - Andr Ren Gabriel Capron - Lennart Carleson - Paul Ernest L on Caro - Edgardo D. Carosella - Alain Fr Carpentier - Henri Paul Cartan - Bernard Pierre Fran ois Fernand Castaing - Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza - Andr Denis Cauderon - Roger Cayrel - Anny Cazenave - Carlo Cercignani - Marc Chabre - William Gilbert Chaloner - Pierre Henry Chambon - Jean-Pierre Georges Changeux - Marie-Lise Chanin - Patrick Pierre Charnay - Georges Charpak - Yves Chauvin - Shiing-Shen Chern - Gustave Alfred Arthur Choquet - Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat - Philippe Gaston Ciarlet - Paul Clavin - Georges Joseph Nissim Cohen - Claude Cohen-Tannoudji - Alain Colmerauer - Michel Andr Combarnous - Claude Jean-Pierre Combes - Genevi Marie Comte-Bellot - Alain Connes - Yves Jean douard Coppens - Robert Jean-Pierre Corriu - Riccardo Cortese - Pierre Corvol - Suzanne Cory - Pascale Cossart - Albert Frank Cotton - Georges Albert Antoine Court s - Francis Harry Compton Crick - Hubert Curien - Fran ois Cuzin

D

Jack Dainty - Thibault Marie Alban Guillaume Damour - Pierre Darriulat - Raymond Daudel - Jean Baptiste Gabriel Dausset - Robert Dautray - Georges David - Roger David - Michel Davier - G rard Debreu - Claude Aim Debru - Henri L on D camps - Laurent Degos - Paul Ren Louis Deheuvels - Anne Dejean-Assemat - Pierre Dejours - Pierre Deligne - Michel Delseny - Jean-Pierre Raymond Philippe Demailly - Jean-Fran ois Denisse - Derek Ashworth Denton - Jean-Michel Andr Dercourt - Peter Dervan - Pierre Deslongchamps - Joseph Leo Doob - Adrien Jules Antoine Douady - Roland Marcel Douce - Ann Patricia Dowling - Michel Duflo - Bernard Dujon - Christian Henri Jean Dumas - Michel Paul Adrien Durand-Delga - Henri Maurice Duranton - Georges Jean Duvaut - Christian de Duve - Freeman John Dyson

E

Gerald M. Edelman - Stuart Edelstein - Sir Samuel Frederick Edwards - Manfred Eigen - Pierre Jacques Colin Encrenaz - Daniel Esteve

F

Ludwig Fadeev - Anne Fagot-Largeault - Michel Fardeau - Olivier Faugeras - Alexandre Jean Auguste Favre - Pierre Fayet - Charles Fehrenbach - No l Joseph Felici - G rard Robert Marcel F rey - Alain Fischer - Jean Marius Flahaut - Philippe Patrick Michel Flajolet - Jean-Marc Dominique Fontaine - Maurice Alfred Fontaine - Jacques Friedel - Uriel Frisch

G

Pierre Gabriel - Pierre Galle - Madeleine Gans - Antonio Garcia-Bellido - Walter Gehring - Isra l Mo seevitch Gelfand - Pierre-Gilles de Gennes - Reinhard Genzel - Paul Germain - tienne Jean-Luc Ghys - Martin Gibbs - Jean Raymond Girard - Jean-Yves Girard - Jacques Glowinski - Roland Glowinski - Andr Goffeau - Marcel Golay - Maurice Goldman - John Bannister Goodenough - Denis Gratias - Howard Green - Norman Neill Greenwood - Mikha l Gromov - Fran ois Gros - Marianne Grunberg-Manago - Jean-Pierre Gr nfeld - Robert Guillaumont - Roger Charles Louis Guillemin - Bernard Ren Guinot - Irwin Clyde Gunsalus - John Bertrand Gurdon

H

Paul Hagenmuller - Erwin Louis Hahn - Serge Haroche - Heisuke Hironaka - Friedrich Ernst Peter Hirzebruch - Jules Alphonse Hoffmann - Francis Clark Howell - Patrick Huerre - G rard Pierre Daniel Huet - Jean-Paul Hurault

I

Jean David Ichbiah - Jean Iliopoulos - Michel Antonin Joseph Imbert - G rard Marie Pierre Iooss - Kiyosi It - Masao Ito

J

Fran ois Jacob - Maurice Ren Michel Jacob - Herv Michel Jacquet - Andr Louis Joseph Ghislain Baron de Jaumotte - Claude Philippe Marie Augustin Jaupart - Claude Ren Gustave Jeanmart - Marc Jeannerod - Yves Philippe Jeannin - Denis-Olivier J rome - Georges Jobert - Zdenek Johan - Pierre Adrien Joliot - Jacques Robert Joussot-Dubien - Michel Valentin Marcel Jouvet - Marc Yves Julia

K

Fotis Kafatos - Henri Boris Kagan - Jean-Pierre Kahane - Axel Kahn - Gilles Kahn - Rudolf Kalman - Eric R. Kandel - Daniel Kaplan - Pierre Camille Karli - Richard Karp - Eric Karsenti - Masaki Kashiwara - Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir - Sergiu Klainerman - Daniel Kleppner - Bernard Kloareg - Aaron Klug - Donald Ervin Knuth - Maxim Kontsevich - Henri Korn - Jean-Louis Andr Stanislas Koszul - Vladimir Kotlyakov - Philippe Henri Andr Kourilsky - Jean Kovalevsky

L

Antoine mile Henry Labeyrie - Jean-Yves Lallemand - Yves Fr ric Michel Laporte - Jacques Laskar - Lucien Claude Laubier - Guy Laval - Patrick Lavelle - Jean Lucien Marie Lavorel - Peter D. Lax - Michel Maurice Lazdunski - Guy Lazorthes - Gilles Ren Pierre Yves Lebeau - Denis Le Bihan - Jean-Baptiste Maurice Leblond - Nicole Marthe Le Douarin - G rard Le Fur - Jean-Marie Pierre Lehn - Pierre Jacques Lelong - Yvon Le Maho - Jean-Louis Le l - Pierre Jean na - Gilbert Lenoir - Jean-Bernard Le Pecq - Jean-Antoine Lepesant - Xavier Thadd e Le Pichon - Henri L ridon - Claude L vi - Rita Levi-Montalcini - Jean-Marc Maurice Lhoste - Albert Joseph Libchaber - Amable Li an - Pierre-Louis Lions - Jacques Livage - Rodolfo Llin s - Joseph Edmond Claude Lorius - Daniel Fran ois Louvard - William John Lucas - Henry de Lumley-Woodyear - Anders Paul Lundberg

M

Odile Macchi - Bernard Fran ois Mach - Bernard Malgrange - Edmond Malinvaud - Jacques Jean-Beno t Mallet - Paul Georges Malliavin - Jean-Louis Mandel - Daniel Albert Lucien Mansuy - Robert Gaston Andr Mar chal - Charles-Michel Marle - Andr e Marquet - Ghislain de Marsily - Goury Ivanovitch Martchouk - Andr Jean Martin - Fran ois Mathey - Michel Mayor - Ernst Mayr - G rard Jean-Jacques M gie - Matthew Meselson - Bernard Meunier - Dominique Meyer - Philippe Meyer - Yves Meyer - Elliot Meyerowitz - Jan Michalski - Jean-Fran ois Pierre Minster - Keith Moffatt - Roger mile Monier - Luc Antoine Montagnier - Jean Maurice Montreuil - Dino Claude Denis Moras - Philippe Morat - Ren Jean Moreau - Fran ois Morel - William Jason Morgan - Leonard Earl Mortenson - Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle - Teruaki Mukaiyama - Arnold Munnich - James Dickson Murray

N

Robert Gustave Naquet - Louis Nirenberg - Yasutomi Nishizuka - Maurice Paul Nivat - Jean Fran Normant - Sir Gustav Joseph Victor Nossal - Arlette Th se Marie Nougar de - Philippe Pierre Gaston Fran ois Nozi res

O

Satoshi Omura - Luis Antonio Oro - G rard Charles Jacques Orth - Ernst Wilhelm Otten - Guy Ourisson - Paul Gabriel Ozenda

P

Adolphe Pacault - Jacob Palis - Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky - Giorgio Parisi - Lucio Patern - Renaud Maurice Adrien Paulian - Jean-Claude Pecker - Georges Charles Pierre P dro - Marc Joseph Michel P legrin - Ren Pellat - Georges Raymond Alain Pelletier - Pierre Claude Marie Perrier - Christine Petit - Michel Petit - Richard Peto - Emilio Picasso - Bernard Picinbono - Charles Pilet - Olivier Roger Pierre Pironneau - Gilles Pisier - Jean-Paul Georges Andr Poirier - Alexandre Polyakov - Yves Pomeau - Pierre Jean-Paul Potier - Michel Charles Raymond Pouchard - Robert Vivian Pound - Jacques Pouyss gur - Frank Press - Jean-Loup Puget

Q

Yves Qu

R

Michael Oser Rabin - Miroslav Radman - Norman Foster Ramsey - Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra (C.N.R). Rao - Andr Pierre Joseph Rassat - Bernard Jean Raveau - Pierre-Arnaud Andr Georges Raviart - Michel Raynaud - Paul-Henri Joseph Rebut - Serge Renaudin - Pascal reau-Gayon - Jacques Ricard - James Robert Rice - Alexander Rich - Sir Rex Edward Richards - Daniel Ricquier - Jean Henri L on Marie Robieux - Henri Marcel Rochefort - Herbert Roesky - Michel Rohmer - Bernard Pierre Roques - Jean Rosa - Maurice Edmond Adolphe Roseau - Jean Rossier - Fran Rougeon - David Pierre Ruelle - Jacques Alphonse Ruffi

S

David Domingo Sabatini - Jean Charles Roger Salen on - Bengt Samuelsson - Evariste Sanchez-Palencia - Frederick Sanger - Philippe Joseph Sansonetti - Jean-Pierre Sauvage - Jean-Michel Sav ant - vry L Schatzman - Knut Schmidt-Nielsen - Daniel Schwartz - Jean-Charles Schwartz - Maxime Simon Schwartz - Eugen Seibold - Micha l Sela - Andr Sentenac - Jean-Pierre Serre - Pierre Maurice Sigwalt - Arndt Simon - Pierre Georges Sina - Georges Slodzian - Piotr Slonimski - Ionel Solomon - Susan Solomon - Christophe Jean Marcel Soul - Erich Spitz - Mathias Springer - Dominique St helin - Raymond F Stora - Gilbert Stork - Pierre Marie-Joseph Henri Suquet

T

Michel Pierre Talagrand - Paul Eug ne Tapponnier - Philippe Taquet - Jean-Marie Tarascon - Andrzej K. Tarkowski - Luc Charles Tartar - John Torrence Tate - Valentine Louis Teledgi - Guy Blaudin de Th - Michel mile Thellier - Jean-Paul Thiery - Gerard 't Hooft - Pierre Jean Ren l Tiollais - Jean Fran ois Marie Tirouflet - Bernard Pierre Henri Tissot - Jacques Tits - G rard Toulouse - Roland Henri Tricot - Rudolf Daniel mpy - Maurice Tubiana

V

Constantin Vago - Alain-Jacques Valleron - Gabriele Veneziano - Mich le Fran oise Vergne - Jacques Villain - Jean-Didier Vincent

W

Zhen-Yi Wang - Jean Weissenbach - ric Westhof - Andrew John Wiles - Edward Witten - G rard Gabriel Wl rick - lie L o Wollman - Lodewijk Woltjer - Kurt W thrich

Y

Moshe Yaniv - Jean-Christophe Yoccoz - Marc Jean Yor

Z

Andr Zaoui

External link

• Academy website (In English) (http://www.academie-sciences.fr/actualites/nouvelles_gb.htm)