The CNRS has announced the winners of the Cristal collectif 2025, and two Aix Marseille Université structures are among the winners: the Centre international de rencontres mathématiques (amU/Société des Mathématiques de France/CNRS), based at Luminy, and Spectropole, the chemical analysis platform of the Fédération des sciences chimiques de Marseille (amU/CNRS/Centrale Méditerranée). Their staff were awarded this medal, which celebrates research support teams who have carried out outstanding projects in terms of technical expertise, collaborative spirit, innovation and outreach.
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Cirm: a mathematical village with a global reach
Aix-Marseille University (AMU) follows CNIL guidelines
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Located in Luminy, in the heart of the Parc National des Calanques, the Cirm has been a hotbed of international mathematical research for over forty years. Every year, over 5,000 participants from all over the world take part in some 120 events: conferences, schools, residencies. Everything is designed to encourage scientific immersion: accommodation, catering, amphitheatres and work rooms. "The Cirm is like a mathematical village, where all mathematicians come at least once in their lives" sums up its director, Pascal Hubert.
The Cirm team is multi-disciplinary and committed to a wide range of initiatives that promote research: the Jean-Morlet Chair, which invites a Franco-international pair to design a complete scientific semester; the "Pays du Sud" Chair, which strengthens collaborations with Africa; and the Carmin audiovisual catalog, with over 7,600 videos available online.
This collective Cristal recognizes the hard work and collective spirit of the Cirm team: "Each new project is a tour de force, but also a success".
Congratulations to the Cirm project team: Olivia Barbarroux - Lounis Bellal - Stéphanie Birba - Nicolas Bonnet - Jessica Bouanane - Thierry Fumarola - Joëlle Katchadourian - Olivier Martin-Gainlet - Sophie Ribe-Rossi - Stéphanie Vareilles - Jennifer Vitale.
The Spectropole: a scientific beehive for chemistry
A complete technical ecosystem, the Spectropole brings together state-of-the-art analytical chemistry equipment: mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, chiroptical spectroscopy...
Thousands of samples are analyzed every year, and behind each piece of equipment is a team of experts capable of solving the most complex problems and carrying out repairs, which can be just as complex.
The collaboration and complementarity of this rare expertise is crucial to carrying out accurate and complete chemical analyses.
Ten CNRS and amU engineers make up this close-knit team, renowned for their complementary skills and commitment. Their work accompanies both academic projects and industrial collaborations, and supports over 150 publications as well as a dozen national and European projects.
Some of the Spectropole's equipment (©FSCM)
The Spectropole doesn't just produce results: it also trains doctoral students and researchers, shares its know-how and contributes to scientific mediation. Awarded the Plateforme Aix-Marseille label in 2014 and the CNRS Chimie label in 2024, the Spectropole has now been awarded the Cristal Collectif in recognition of its "rare expertise, technical rigor and essential role in knowledge production".
Congratulations to the Spectropole team: Sara Chentouf - Ghislaine Durand - Grégory Excoffier - Florian Ferrer - Michel Giorgi - Gaëlle Hisler - Marie Juramy - Valérie Monnier - Jean-Valère Naubron - Fabio Ziarelli
Article published on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
Read the CNRS article on Spectropole.
Read the CNRS article on Cirm.
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