Impulscience 2024, Highly Cited Researchers 2024: Institut Pasteur scientists recognized

• 2024 Impulscience awards from the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

The Fondation Bettencourt Schueller supports and encourages scientists who help boost France's impact in life sciences. This has been the Foundation's primary commitment since it was established in 1987. While it mainly focuses on basic research, its aim is to improve human health.

In 2022, the Foundation introduced a new support program for talented French researchers in life sciences: Impulscience®. Aimed at mid-career researchers, the program addresses two key issues: protecting the freedom of innovation of French scientists and offering long-term support. Each grant is worth €2.3 million for five years.

This year, the seven Impulscience® award winners include two Institut Pasteur scientists:

Elisa Gomez Perdiguero, Head of the Macrophages and Endothelial Cells Unit, was selected for her research analyzing the contribution of fetal hematopoiesis to health and to the development of pediatric diseases.

Embryonic development is full of mysteries. But it is crucial that we try to unlock these mysteries, as what happens during embryonic and fetal development can have consequences into adulthood. Elisa Gomez Perdiguero has chosen to focus her research on hematopoiesis, the system that produces blood and immune cells. With her team, she aims to explore the link between disturbances to this system in the fetus and certain pediatric diseases.

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Jérémie Barral, Head of the Neural Coding in the Auditory System team, was selected for his research project to shed light on the auditory circuit, from the cochlea to the brain.

Jérémie Barral uses a novel approach to understand how our brain perceives sounds. By studying the hair cells in the inner ear that pick up sound frequencies and exploring their interaction with the brain, he is aiming to elucidate the processes involved in hearing. Drawing on a revolutionary technique known as optogenetics, which uses light to activate specific cells, his team is able to simulate complex sounds and analyze how the brain processes them, thereby opening up new prospects for treating certain types of hearing loss.

See his portrait

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• 7 Institut Pasteur scientists on the Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list

Each year, Clarivate Analytics (producer of Web of Science), which specializes in analyzing scientific production, publishes a list of the most cited researchers, in other words those who have had a significant influence in 21 research fields by publishing multiple highly cited articles over the past decade.

In 2024, 6886 scientists were selected on the basis of the number of highly cited articles that they produced over an 11-year period, from January 2013 to December 2023, either in one of the 21 research fields or in several fields if they are involved in multidisciplinary research.

The Highly Cited Researchers list has a significant impact as it serves as a basis for several international rankings, including the Shanghai ranking, in which it counts for 20% of the overall score given to each university.

This year, the 2024 Institut Pasteur winners are: Yasmine Belkaid, James Di Santo, Gerard Eberl, Mart Krupovic, Marc Lecuit, Felix Rey and Edouardo Rocha.

 

Check out the full Highly Cited Researchers list

Find out more about the selection process