Liliane Léger née Quercy (; born August 22, 1944) is a French

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

. Her research considers polymers and the molecular mechanisms of adhesion. She was awarded the Groupe Français d’Études et d’Applications des Polymères Prix d’Honneur in 2021.

Early life and education

Léger was born in

Charenton-le-Pont Charenton-le-Pont () is a Communes of France, commune situated to the southeast of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris, to the north of the confluence of the Seine and Marne (river), Marne rivers; the part of ...

. She was a student at Lycée Pasteur. After completing high school, Leger joined the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

, where she worked toward a bachelor's degree in Atomic and Molecular Physics. She moved to the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides in 1967, where she was trained in solid state physics. She remained in Orsay for her doctoral research, working in the laboratory of Georges Durand and Madeleine Veyssié. Her doctoral research considered the thermal fluctuations of nematic liquid crystals. She defended her thesis on the elastic and dynamic properties of mesomorphic phases under the supervision of P.-G. de Gennes in 1975.

Research and career

Léger joined the polymer group at the

Collège de France The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...

in 1977 and was appointed head of group just over ten years later. In 1985, she became head of the Polymers team at the Collège de France. She was appointed professor at the

University of Paris-Sud Paris-Sud University (), also known as the University of Paris — XI (or as the Orsay Faculty of Sciences, University of Paris before 1971), was a French research university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburbs of Paris, ...

in 1988. She returned to the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides Adhesion, Friction and Polymer group. She was made an emeritus professor in 2009. In 2016 the

French National Centre for Scientific Research The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 engi ...

held a conference in Léger's honour.

Awards and honours

* 1990 Senior member of the

Institut Universitaire de France The Institut Universitaire de France (IUF, Academic Institute of France), is a service of the French Ministry of Higher Education that annually distinguishes a small number of university professors for their research excellence, as evidenced by t ...

* 2004 French Physical Society Prix Félix Robin * 2005 Elected to the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* 2015 Elected Fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

* 2021 Groupe Français d’Études et d’Applications des Polymères Prix d’Honneur

Selected publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Léger, Liliane Living people 1944 births French physicists People from Charenton-le-Pont 20th-century French scientists 21st-century French physicists French women scientists Fellows of the American Physical Society 21st-century French women scientists