58 Notable alumni of
Sorbonne University
Updated:
Sorbonne University is 853rd in the world, 301st in Europe, and 29th in France by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 58 notable alumni from Sorbonne University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 7 individuals affiliated with Sorbonne University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine.
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Marie Curie
- Awards
- Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911
- Born in
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Poland - Years
- 1867-1934 (aged 67)
- Occupations
- university teacherchemistphysicist
- Biography
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Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie "for their joint researches on the radioactivity phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel". She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry " the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element".
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Frédéric Beigbeder
- Occupations
- literary criticfilm directoractornovelistpublisher
- Biography
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Frédéric Beigbeder is a French writer, literary critic and television presenter. He won the Prix Interallié in 2003 for his novel Windows on the World and the Prix Renaudot in 2009 for his book A French Novel. He is also the creator of the Flore and Sade Awards. In addition, he is the executive director of Lui, a French adult entertainment magazine.
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Louis de Broglie
- Occupations
- physicist
- Biography
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Louis Victor Pierre Raymond, 7th Duc de Broglie was a French theoretical physicist and aristocrat known for his contributions to quantum theory. In his 1924 Ph.D. thesis, he postulated the wave nature of electrons and suggested that all matter has wave properties. This concept is known as the de Broglie hypothesis, an example of wave–particle duality, and forms a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics. In 1929, de Broglie won the Nobel Prize in Physics, after the wave-like behaviour of matter was experimentally confirmed in 1927. This confirmation earned George Paget Thomson and Clinton Davisson the Nobel in 1937.
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Yann Le Cun
- Occupations
- artificial intelligence researchercomputer scientistsoftware engineerprofessorelectrical engineer
- Biography
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Yann André Le Cun is a French–American computer scientist working in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, robotics and image compression. He is the Jacob T. Schwartz Professor of Computer Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. He served as Chief AI Scientist at Meta Platforms before leaving to work on his own startup company.
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Julia Ducournau
- Occupations
- screenwriterdirectorfilm director
- Biography
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Julia Ducournau is a French film director and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut in 2016 with Raw. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, she won the Palme d'Or for her film Titane, which made her the second female director to win the award as well as the first to win the award solo. Additionally, Ducournau also received a nomination for Best Director at the 75th British Academy Film Awards. Her 2025 film, Alpha, earned her a second Palme d'Or nomination. Her films typically fall under the body horror genre.
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Noor Ali Tabandeh
- Occupations
- Muslimlawyerummah
- Biography
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Noor-Ali Tabandeh was the spiritual leader or Qutb of the Ni'matullah (Sultan Ali Shahi) Gonabadi Order in Iran (Gonabadi Dervishes), which is the largest Sufi order in Iran. He was born in Beydokht, Gonabad, Iran and died in Mehr Hospital in Tehran on 24 December 2019 after two years of house arrest.
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Christophe Beaugrand-Gerin
- Occupations
- journalistradio personality
- Biography
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Christophe Beaugrand is a French television presenter and journalist.
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Anne Genetet
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- Studied in 1999-2000
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Anne Genetet is a French medical doctor and politician of Renaissance (RE) who briefly served as the Minister of National Education in the Barnier government from September to December 2024. She represented the 11th constituency for French residents overseas in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2024.
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Clémence Botino
- Occupations
- beauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Clémence Botino is a French beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2020. She represented France at Miss Universe 2021 and Miss World 2023, where she reached the top 10 and top 40, respectively. Botino was previously crowned Miss Guadeloupe 2019, and was the third woman representing Guadeloupe to become Miss France.
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Jean Perrin
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicisttheoretical physicistcomposerchemist
- Biography
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Jean Baptiste Perrin was a French atomic physicist who, in his studies of the Brownian motion of minute particles suspended in liquids (sedimentation equilibrium), verified Albert Einstein's explanation of this phenomenon and thereby confirmed the atomic nature of matter. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1926.
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Bernard de La Villardière
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- Graduated with licence in journalism
- Occupations
- journalistradio personality
- Biography
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Bernard Berger de La Villardière is a French journalist, radio and television presenter.
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Gabriel Lippmann
- Occupations
- inventorphysicistprofessorphotographer
- Biography
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Gabriel Lippmann was a French applied physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1908 for his invention of the Lippmann plate, a method of photographically reproducing colours based on the interference phenomenon.
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Henri Moissan
- Occupations
- pharmacistchemistpharmacologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan was a French chemist and pharmacist who won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds. Among his other contributions, Moissan discovered moissanite and contributed to the development of the electric arc furnace. Moissan was one of the original members of the International Atomic Weights Committee.
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Dariush Shayegan
- Occupations
- theoristintellectualuniversity teacherwritertranslator
- Biography
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Dariush Shayegan was one of the most consequential thinkers of contemporary Iran and the Near East.
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Asaf Zamir
- Occupations
- diplomatlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Asaf Zamir is an Israeli politician, lawyer and diplomat. He served as Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv from 2008 until 2013 and Acting Mayor in charge of education from 2013 to 2018. He was elected to the Knesset in 2019, serving in two spells until 2021. He also held the post of Minister of Tourism from May to October 2020. He was Consul General in New York from October 2021 until his resignation in March 2023, in protest at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
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Romane Dicko
- Occupations
- judoka
- Biography
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Romane Dicko is a French judoka. In 2021, she won one of the bronze medals in the women's +78 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She also won bronze at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Dicko won gold in her event at the 2022 World Judo Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and she is a four-time gold medalist at the European Judo Championships.
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Charles Richet
- Occupations
- playwrightwriterphysiologistimmunologistpsychologist
- Biography
-
Charles Robert Richet was a French physiologist at the Collège de France and immunology pioneer. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on anaphylaxis". Richet devoted many years to the study of paranormal and spiritualist phenomena, coining the term "ectoplasm". He believed in the inferiority of black people, was a proponent of eugenics, and presided over the French Eugenics Society towards the end of his life. The Richet line of professorships of medical science continued through his son Charles and his grandson Gabriel. Gabriel Richet was also one of the pioneers of European nephrology.
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Hichem Rostom
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Hichem Rostom was a Tunisian actor. He appeared in more than 70 films and television shows since 1987. He starred in Golden Horseshoes, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He also directed the Carthage Theatre Festival for two sessions.
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Pinaki Bhattacharya
- Years
- 1967-.. (age 59)
- Occupations
- physicianauthorsocial activist
- Biography
-
Pinaki Bhattacharya is a Bangladeshi activist and physician known for his criticism of Sheikh Hasina, Awami League and BNP.
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Claire Hédon
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- 1985-1986 graduated with Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées in communication studies
- Occupations
- journalistgroup activist
- Biography
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Claire Hédon is a French journalist, who was appointed the 2020 Defender of Rights in France.
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David Diop
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- Graduated with doctorate in philosophy
- Occupations
- man of lettersdocentliterary scholarwriter
- Biography
-
David Diop is a French novelist and academic, who specializes in 18th-century French and Francophone African literature. His research, at the University of Pau in south-west France, focuses on representations of Africa in 18th-century accounts and images by travellers. Diop received the 2021 International Booker Prize for his novel At Night All Blood Is Black as the first French author (translated by Anna Moschovakis). The novel was also shortlisted for ten French awards and won them in other countries.
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Pedro Simon
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Pedro Jorge Simon is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and professor. He represented Rio Grande do Sul in the Federal Senate for over 30 years. Prior to that, he served as the governor of Rio Grande do Sul from 1987 to 1990. Simon also served as Minister of Agriculture from 1985 to 1986. He is a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement and an important historical figure of the movement towards redemocratization in Brazil.
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Mina Khosrovani
- Born in
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Iran - Occupations
- film actor
- Biography
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Mina Khosrovani (Persian: مینا خسروانی; born May 23 1989 known professionally as Mina Kavani (مینا کاوانی), is an Iranian-French actress. She is best known for her role in No Bears (2022), which won the Special Jury Prize at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
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Olivier François
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- Studied in 1986
- Occupations
- manager
- Biography
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Olivier François is a French business executive and the CEO of Fiat and Abarth since 2011. He is global chief marketing officer for Stellantis, and a member of the company's Group Executive Council, a position he has held since September 2011. Due to his attention to creativity, he has been referred to as "Chrysler's Don Draper". In 2024, François was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.
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Delphine Minoui
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Delphine Minoui is a French journalist specializing in the Iranian world.
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Ludovic Chaker
- Occupations
- politicianconsultantmartial arts teacheryoga instructorofficial
- Biography
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Ludovic Chaker is a French government official. A former diplomat and politician, he is chiefly known as a political advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron and the first secretary of his political movement, En Marche!.
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Céline Calvez
- Occupations
- cadres de la fonction publiquepolitician
- Biography
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Céline Calvez is a French politician of Renaissance (RE) who has represented the 5th constituency of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the National Assembly since 2017.
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Bertrand Badré
- Occupations
- bankerofficial
- Biography
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Bertrand Badré was born on 10 May 1968. He is the son of Denis Badré, Senator of Hauts-de-Seine until 2011 and mayor of Ville d'Avray. Bertrand Badré is the CEO and founder of BlueOrange Capital, an investment fund that focuses on investments aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals with market level financial returns. Previously, Badré served as managing director and Chief Financial Officer of the World Bank Group. Badré also held key positions at Société Générale, Crédit Agricole and Lazard, and was an advisor to previous French President Jacques Chirac’s diplomatic team. His most recent book “Money Honnie, si la finance sauvait le monde?” explores Badré's experience throughout the financial crisis and how we can reboot the system.
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Emma Rafowicz
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- 2019-2021 graduated with French masters degree in communication
- Occupations
- activistpoliticiancommunications manager
- Biography
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Emma Rafowicz is a French politician of the Socialist Party (PS). She was elected member of the European Parliament in 2024. She is currently serving as president of the Young Socialist Movement and municipal councillor of the 11th arrondissement of Paris, after having served as Deputy mayor from 2020 to 2024.
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Valérie Petit
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Valérie Petit is a French politician who served as a member of the French National Assembly from 2017 elections until 2022, representing the 9th constituency of the department of Nord. From 2016 until 2020, she was a member of La République En Marche! (LREM).
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Corinne Le Quéré
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 60)
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- 1996-1999 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- physicistclimatologistmeteorologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Corinne Le Quéré CBE FRS is a Canadian scientist. She is Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia and former Director of Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. She was the founding chair of the French High Council on Climate (2018-2024) and is a member of the UK Climate Change Committee since 2016. Her research focuses on the interactions between the carbon cycle and climate change.
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Hélé Béji
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Hélé Béji is a Tunisian writer.
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Sandrine Mazetier
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Sandrine Mazetier is a member of the National Assembly of France. She represents the city of Paris, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche.
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Bernadette Sanou Dao
- Occupations
- ministerteacherpoliticianwriterpoet
- Biography
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Bernadette Sanou Dao is a Burkinabé author and politician. At age 11, her family returned to Upper Volta from Mali. She attended Kolog-Naba college in Ouagadougou and later Ohio University in the United States and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. From 1986 to 1987 she was Burkina Faso's Minister for Culture. She lives in Ouagadougou. She writes poetry, short-stories and children's stories.
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Oleksandra Skoropadska
- Years
- 1878-1952 (aged 74)
- Biography
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Oleksandra Petrivna Skoropadska was a Russian and Ukrainian noblewoman, the spouse of Ukrainian political and military leader Pavlo Skoropadskyi.
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Vassilis Tsabropoulos
- Occupations
- composerpianistconductorjazz musician
- Biography
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Vassilis Tsabropoulos is a Greek pianist, conductor, and composer.
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Robert Piper
- Occupations
- civil servant
- Biography
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Robert Andrew Piper is an Australian development aid coordinator for the United Nations. Between December 2018 and May 2022, he was Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Development Coordination Office. In May 2022, he was appointed Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Solutions to Internal Displacement. He is currently based in Geneva.
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Rustam Haidar
- Occupations
- economistteacherpolitician
- Biography
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Rustam Haidar was an Iraqi politician of Lebanese descent who served as Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Iraq from 1930 to 1932 and from 1938 to 1940. He also was an aide to King Faisal I, Defense Minister, and Finance Minister of Iraq. Rustam Haidar is considered an important figure in the history of the modern Iraqi state and worked in many Iraqi ministries despite being of Lebanese origin. Joining the forces of Faisal I, he was a companion of the young emir throughout his life until his death during a trip to Switzerland. Seven years later, Haidar was subjected to a mysterious assassination and was buried next to King Faisal I at the Iraqi Royal Cemetery in Baghdad.
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José Manuel Losada
- Occupations
- literary theoristuniversity teacher
- Biography
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José Manuel Losada is a Spanish literary theorist with a specialization in the fields of myth criticism and comparative literature. Within these fields he has published several books in Spanish, French and English.
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André Choulika
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- 1985-1995 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in virology
- Occupations
- businesspersonvirologist
- Biography
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André Choulika is a biotechnologist, the inventor of nuclease-based genome editing and a pioneer in the analysis and use of meganucleases to modify complex genomes.
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Maelle Gavet
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- 1996-2000 graduated with bachelor's degree
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Maëlle Gavet is a French businesswoman, author, and entrepreneur.
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Lluís Quintana-Murci
- Occupations
- biologisthuman evolutionprofessoruniversity teacherresearcher
- Biography
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Lluís Quintana-Murci is a French-Spanish biologist and population geneticist known for his research on human evolution, population genomic diversity and its relationship with immune diversity and infectious diseases.
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Vincent Chauvet
- Years
- 1987-.. (age 39)
- Occupations
- entrepreneurconsultantpoliticiancadres de la fonction publique
- Biography
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Vincent Chauvet is a French politician serving as Mayor of Autun since 2017. A member of the Democratic Movement (MoDem), he has presided over the party's Saône-et-Loire federation since 2015. Chauvet is the co-founder of the first submitted European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), One Single Tariff.
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Benoît-Marie Langénieux
- Occupations
- Catholic deaconCatholic bishopCatholic priest
- Biography
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Benoît-Marie Langénieux was a French Archbishop of Reims and Cardinal.
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Lotfi Achour
- Occupations
- theatrical directorscreenwriterfilm director
- Biography
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Lotfi Achour is a Tunisian writer, producer and director for theater and cinema. He is the author of more than 25 theater productions on different stages (London, Paris, Festival In d'Avignon, Tunis, Carthage, Hammamet, Byblos, Kinshasa, Yaoundé…). His last show was co-produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company for the 2012 Olympic Games London.
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Anne-Antoine-Jules de Clermont-Tonnerre
- Occupations
- Catholic priestpolitician
- Biography
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Anne Antoine Jules de Clermont-Tonnerre was a French prelate of the Catholic Church. He was made a cardinal by Pope Pius VII in 1822.
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Mubashir Husain Rehmani
- Occupations
- computer scientistscientistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Mubashir Husain Rehmani is a Pakistani researcher and computer scientist. His areas of work are computer networking, telecommunications, wireless communications and blockchain. He was recognised in 2020 and 2021 as one of the Highly Cited Researchers in computer science by Clarivate.
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Christina Petrowska-Quilico
- Occupations
- pianist
- Biography
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Christina Petrowska Quilico CM OOnt FRSC is a Canadian pianist. She is a professor emerita, senior scholar at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2020 "For her celebrated career as a classical and contemporary pianist and for championing Canadian music." In 2021, she was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2022, she was appointed to the Order of Ontario for having "opened the ears of music lovers internationally through numerous classical and contemporary performances.... As a Professor of Musicology and Piano at York University, she has received esteemed research awards. As a benefactor, she established The Christina and Louis Quilico Award at the Ontario Arts Foundation and the Canadian Opera Company." She was presented with the Ontario Arts Council's Oskar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance, "recognizing talent and commitment to Canadian music", in October 2023.
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Lise Gauvin
- Years
- 1940-.. (age 86)
- Occupations
- man of lettersuniversity teacherliterary scholarliterary criticessayist
- Biography
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Lise Gauvin is a Canadian writer and literary critic from Quebec.
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Robert Kühner
- Occupations
- secondary school teacheruniversity teachermycologistbotanistprofesseur agrégé
- Biography
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Robert Kühner was a French mycologist most notable for reviewing many forms of agaric (mushroom fungus) genera.
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Mohamed Hamouda Bensai
- Occupations
- writerphilosopher
- Biography
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Mohamed Hamouda Hamouda Bensaï was an Algerian philosopher and essayist. He studied philosophy at Sorbonne, and was one of the major Algerian thinkers from the 1930s onward. He chaired the circle of the Association of Franco-North Africa, founded by Marcellin Piel.
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Joseph-Christian-Ernest Bourret
- Occupations
- Catholic priestCatholic bishop
- Biography
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Joseph Christian Ernest Bourret was a French churchman, bishop and cardinal.
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Catherine Plaisant
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- Studied in 1982
- Occupations
- computer scientistauthoruniversity teacherresearcher
- Biography
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Catherine Plaisant is a French/American Research Scientist Emerita at the University of Maryland, College Park and assistant director of research of the University of Maryland Human–Computer Interaction Lab.
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Nguyễn Hồng Giáp
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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Nguyễn Hồng Giáp is a Vietnamese scholar.
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Sofiane Mimouni
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Sofiane Mimouni has been the Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations since October 2019. Director General for Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 2015 to 2019. He has also served as Algeria’s Ambassador to Iran from 2009 to 2014, Director‑General of the Asia-Oceania Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2009 and Ambassador to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Vanuatu from 1996 to 2004.
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Vionette Negretti
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Vionette Giovanna Negretti is a Puerto Rican journalist and writer who, between 1976 and 2008, worked as reporter for several newspapers as well as in radio and television stations in San Juan and became co-anchor of a televised newscast. Negretti has also worked as communications and press aide to Puerto Rico's House Speaker and for a Senator from San Juan and is often invited by educational institutions to give lectures regarding her literary work.
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Camille Guerre
- Enrolled in Sorbonne University
- 2014-2015 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- swimmersynchronized swimmer
- Biography
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Camille Guerre is a French synchronized swimmer who competed in the 2014 FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships.
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Indrajit Banerjee
- Occupations
- communication scholarsocial scientist
- Biography
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Indrajit Banerjee was an author on media and communication and the director of the Knowledge Societies Division at UNESCO.
