The CEA Paris-Saclay (formerly CEA Saclay) center is one of nine centers belonging to the
French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission or CEA ( French: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), is a French public government-funded research organisation in the areas of energy, defense and securit ...
(CEA). The Saclay site hosts the administrative headquarters of the CEA. Historically, it was the heart of French nuclear research since
Frederic Joliot-Curie Frederic may refer to:
Places United States
* Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County
* Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County
** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community
Other uses
* Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...
founded it after the Second World War. Its campus was designed by the architect
Auguste Perret
Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
.
It is now a part of the confederation of
Paris-Saclay University
Paris-Saclay University (french: Université Paris-Saclay) is a public research university based in Paris, France. It is one of the 13 prestigious universities that emerged from the division of the University of Paris, also known as the Sorbonne ...
, along with
CentraleSupélec
CentraleSupélec (CS) is a top French graduate engineering school of Paris-Saclay University in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. It was established on 1 January 2015, as a result of a strategic merger between two prestigious grandes écoles in France, ...
,
CNRS,
ENS Paris-Saclay,
HEC Paris,
IHES, etc.
Research
The complex employs more than 7,000 scientists (including other smaller
Île-de-France
The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...
sites) and is located in the
Essonne
Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.[Saclay Plateau The Plateau de Saclay, also called Silicon Valley Européenne (in English, European Silicon Valley), is located north of Essonne and south-east of Yvelines, 20 km south of Paris. It is bounded by the valley of the Yvette (river), Yvette (''Vall ...]
.
The research carried out ranges from fundamental research to applied research and, thanks to the Orpheus research reactor, lasers and magnetic resonance research into the
State of Matter
In physics, a state of matter is one of the distinct forms in which matter can exist. Four states of matter are observable in everyday life: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Many intermediate states are known to exist, such as liquid crystal, ...
.
Research at Saclay is focussed on different topics:
* Applied nuclear research: Research is carried out to optimise current and future French nuclear reactors using the Osiris experimental reactor and the Tamaris earthquake simulation laboratory as well as further research into nuclear waste management.
* Technology research: Research into IT systems used in nuclear installations,
man-machine interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fr ...
as well as sensor technology.
* Health research: Research into the effects of radioactivity on living cells and molecules,
protein engineering and
Medical imaging.
* Environmental research: Research into the
effects of climate change
The effects of climate change impact the physical environment, ecosystems and human societies. The environmental effects of climate change are broad and far-reaching. They affect the water cycle, oceans, sea and land ice ( glaciers), sea le ...
and greenhouse gases.
* Fundamental Research.
Notable subsidiaries
*
Institut national des sciences et techniques nucléaires (National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology) or INSTN which is dedicated to the academic and professional training in the field of atomic energy.
* NeuroSpin (
fr) is a neuroimaging research center with some of the most powerful MRI machines in the world
People
*
Jules Gueron, first director of the CEA's nuclear research center
*
Jean-Baptiste Waldner, alumnus
*
Étienne Klein, physicist, philosopher of science, author, and radio host
References
External links
Official website of Saclay in English
{{authority control
Nuclear history of France
Nuclear research institutes in France