Catherine_Bréchignac
Catherine Bréchignac (French pronunciation: [katʁin bʁeʃiɲak] ⓘ; born 12 June 1946) is a French physicist. She is a commander of the Légion d'honneur, "secrétaire perpétuel honoraire" of the Académie des sciences and former president of the CNRS ("National Centre for Scientific Research").[1] The Times says she has "a formidable reputation for determination, decisiveness and an aptitude for analysing and clarifying complex matters."[2] As a president of the CNRS, she was responsible for 25,000 employees, 12,000 of whom are researchers, and a budget of 2.42 billion Euros.[2]