Nationality: French
Marital status: Married
Dependent children: 0
Current address: 45 Suffren Street, 605001, Pondicherry, India
Telephone: Office : (91-413) 222 24 97
Home : (91-413) 233 72 52
Fax : (91-413) 233 95 34
Address in France 4 rue de l’Exposition, 75007 Paris
Tel. : (00-33) 01 47 53 89 12
Email: jpmuller@ifpindia.org
Degrees: Ph.D, D.Sc
Engineer in Agronomy (National Agronomical Institute, Paris)
Distinction: Knighthood in the Order of the French « Légion d’Honneur »
Experience
Management
- Director General of a large French public establishment (EPST) : The Institut de Recheche pour le Développement (IRD) (Research Institute for Development ; www.ird.fr)
- Director of a research Institute under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs : the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP) (French Institute of Pondicherry, India ; www.ifpindia.org)
- Director of a research unit of the ORSTOM
International cooperation
- Career entirely devoted to North-South scientific cooperation
- Experience in intercultural dialogue and negotiation
- Management of institutions and/or programmes pursuing activities in cooperation with African, South American and Asian countries
- Signing of a large number of agreements with national and international institutions from Southern and Northern countries
- Research work conducted in partnership with various African and Latin American institutions
- Representation activities, leading to numerous scientific and technical collaborations
Research
- Research at individual and group (direction of teams) level, on superficial formations in tropical regions (soil mapping ; petrology of laterites ; structure and properties of tropical environment materials ; …)
- Diverse applications of this research: condition, usage, promotion, management and protection of the environment
- Supervision of students (Masters, M.Phil, PhD) and member of jury for several theses
- Teaching (Post graduate level)
- Numerous publications
- Organisation of - and participation in – different scientific events of national and international level
Management of research
Feb. 2003 – Aug 2008 : Director of the French Institute of Pondicherry (India) (www.ifpindia.org)
- Description of the establishment : Principal research centre of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). Research, promotion and training on environment and sustainable development (Ecology), contemporary social dynamics (Social Sciences) and Indian cultural knowledge and heritage (Indology) in South and South-East Asia. 80 « permanent » staff members, of which 10 expatriate personnel ; reception of numerous trainees (Post-doc. / Doc. /Masters) and researchers of different nationalities, for varied durations…
- Terms of Reference (fixed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) : to restructure and modernise the Institute (improve its readability and visibility) ; to develop partnerships (notably oriented towards Europe and South and South East Asia) ; to strive for scientific excellence (production at the international scale) ; to look for external funding (beyond State subsidy) ; ….
- Results achieved: “The French Institute of Pondicherry is emerging as a major player in Indo-French cooperation” (focus Frontline, August 2006)
. In-depth reform of the structure and functioning of the Institute : setting-up of a policy by objectives (substitution of a logic of means by a logic of objectives) ; implementation of a « culture of projects » ; refocusing of projects on a reduced number of « promising » themes (emphasis on excellence, mobilisation of partners, possible benefits for civil society) in a perspective of « sustainable development » ; launching of innovative multidisciplinary projects (1) ; optimisation of human, financial and material resources ;
. Creation of two strong research support structures: a Laboratory of Applied Informatics and Geomatics ; an integrated and fully computerised Centre for Documentary Resources ;
. Expansion and formalisation of the network of institutional partners : several dozens of agreements signed ; spectacular increase in the number of students received (post doc, doc, masters) ;
. Considerable increase in external funding: 30 co-financing agreements signed (of which : EU, Ford Foundation, French National Agency for Research (ANR), BIT/ILO, Indian governmental agencies) ; 65% of the operating costs of research projects were covered by these funds in 2006 ;
. Launching of an ambitious policy of communication and diffusion of knowledge and know-how : a growing number of publications (articles in periodicals with an international audience, and books) ; launching of multimedia material (CD-ROM and « open source » software on the WEB) ; organisation of scientific events on various themes, on a national and international scale ; increased efficiency in communication, both internal and external (WEB, press communiqués, …) ;
. Inscription (2003) of the IFP’s collection of palm-leaf manuscripts in UNESCO’s « Memory of the World» register
May 1998 – Jan. 2003 : Director General of the Research Institute for Development (ORSTOM / IRD) (www.ird.fr)
- Description of the establishment : French public establishment for science and technology (EPST), placed under the joint authority of the French ministries in charge of research and overseas development. Fulfills missions of research, expertise and promotion, support and training and scientific information centred on the relations between man and his environment in Southern countries with an objective to contribute to their development. Six major themes : environmental hazards and security of populations ; sustainable management of ecosystems ; resources and usage of continental and coastal waters ; food safety ; health (epidemics, endemic and emerging illnesses, health systems) ; economic, social and identity issues and spatial dynamics. Network of partners and operations in around fifty countries (Africa, Latin America, Asia, Oceania) ; 35 centres and representations (France, French overseas departments and territories, abroad). 2500 personnel, of which 800 French researchers and 800 French engineers. Total budget of 250 M€
- Terms of Reference (fixed by the Ministry for Education, Research and Technology, MENRT) : To carry out an in-depth reform of the institution, notably by opening it up towards its French institutional partners (institutions of higher studies and research) and towards its partners in Southern countries, by substantially improving its procedures for scientific evaluation, by redefining its missions in order to reaffirm its specificity : that of a research establishment in its own right, of a research strongly representative of the Institute’s new name “ Institut de Recherche pour le Développement ” (IRD), … ;
- Results achieved: The ORSTOM was threatened in its own existence. The IRD, for which the foundations were firmly established, is now in the first rank of recognised research institutions (2).
. Rewriting of the statutory texts (of which, two orders and three ministerial decrees)
. Setting-up of new operational structures: (i) 93 research units (UR) or service units (US), of which 1/3 mixed with different universities, the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), the INRA (French National Institute for Agronomic Research) and the CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development) ; (ii) five scientific departments : three to organise and lead research (Space and Environment ; Living Resources ; Societies and Health) ; one department in charge of expertise and economic and social partnerships ; one department having the duty of training local agents from Southern countries in research,;
. Setting-up of new evaluation authorities : (i) six independent evaluation commissions with a reinforced mission : four sector-wise Scientific Commissions (Physical and Chemical Sciences of planetary environment ; Biological and Medical Sciences ; Sciences of Ecological Systems ; Human and Social Sciences) ; two Commissions for Management of Research and its Applications (Expertise and Engineering; Administration and Management) ; (ii) a Scientific Council, an authority for guidance in matters of scientific policy and in the in fine selection of the projects and candidate directors of Research and Service Units (URs/US’s) ;
. Reorganisation of the Administrative structure : (i) reorganisation of the services carried out by the head office: setting-up of two major groups of entities that ensure the performance of « resource functions », those essentially directed towards the outside (management of staff and delegations for international relations, for overseas, for information and communication and for computer systems) and those organising the architecture of the Institute (five departments) ; (ii) amendment of procedures (administrative decentralisation, management of the URs/US’s, description of staff duties, follow-up of agreements, postings, reception, …) ; (iii) improvement in the employment policy (revision of the recruiting and promotion procedures ; reduction of casual work ; (iv) launching of a Plan for Administrative Modernisation and Simplification (PMSA) and of a Strategy Document for Information Systems (SDSI) ;
. Strengthening of partnerships through numerous inter-institutional agreements (France and abroad) ;
. Drafting of a quadrennial contract between the IRD and the French Government.
June 1993 – May 1997 : Director of the Research Unit « Geosciences of Tropical Environment » (ORSTOM)
- Description of the unit : 55 researchers and technicians and 25 research fellows conducting research on the processes of weathering and erosion within the intertropical zone and recording of local and global climate variations (sediments, corals). Study fields in Central and Western Africa, Brazil, in the countries of the Andean Arc, in Oceania.
- Terms of Reference (fixed by the Director General of ORSTOM) : to reinforce the « leadership » of the ORSTOM in the study of superficial formations in tropical countries ; to his end, to regroup programmes for which the historical dimension (geological scale) of the variability and evolution of the natural environment is a central issue in the framework of a research axis "Variability and Evolution of the Natural Environment" of the “Earth-Ocean-Atmosphere” Department,; to create greater scientific dynamism vis-à-vis the Institute’s partners.
- Results achieved
. Defining of a new scientific strategy : refocusing of the teams’ projects, both at the thematic and geographical level (common workshops ; multidisciplinary approach ; permanence on fields) ; closing of certain projects ; reformatting and reorganisation of the remaining projects according to 3 axes: (i) the functioning of soils ; (ii) the supergenous behaviour of useful substances (metallogeny); (iii) the palaeoenvironments and the palaeoclimates ; thematic broadening (launching of a programme on pollution and environment protection) ;
. Improvement in performances : better visibility of programmes ; optimisation of human resources ; adaptation of structures to the evolution of disciplines ; increase in scientific efficiency through the usage of sophisticated and adapted technologies (geophysical, geochemical, mineralogical, hydrologic approaches ; modelling / quantification) ;
. Development of multidisciplinary approaches : insertion of many projects in « large national programmes » ; substantial increase in the number and level of publications ;
. Reinforcing of partnerships : relevant choice of partners ; increase in the number of foreign researchers and PhD candidates received ; increase in the number of trainee programmes ; development of technical transfers.
National and international scientific programmes : management and participation
Public funding
-> Management (including administrative and financial management):
1970 -1978 : Mapping of Cameroon soils for the Cameroon’s Ministry of Town and Country Planning
1977 : F.A.O. Programme « Degradation maps of Cameroon soils »
1979 : Soil maps of Cameroon at the 1/3 250 000° scale, for the Atlas of Cameroon (contract with the « Jeune Afrique » Editions)
1985 : Programmed Thematic Action (PTA) CNRS-ORSTOM « Fine characterisation of mineral constituents and their relations in a Cameroon laterite»
1986 : CEA Project (French Atomic Energy Authority) « Petrographic monitoring of the geochemistry of uranium in laterites »
1988 : ORSTOM / Council for Mineral Resources of Mexico, Project « Alteration of volcanic rocks of the uranium-bearing district of Chihuahua »
1988 : CEA Project « Behaviour of uranium and its accompanying elements in the lateritic weathering of the different types of deposits in Brazil. Comparison with African models »
1988 - 1990 : Programmed Incitative Action (AIP), theme « International Cooperation », of the University of Paris 7 « Monitoring of the transfers of rare elements during the processes of superficial alteration »
1990 - 1993 : CEA Project (Centre for Nuclear Studies of Fontenay-aux-Roses, France) « Tracing and quantification of radioelements transfers in a natural analogous of high radioactivity waste storage site : Geochemical and spectroscopic approaches »
1991 - 1994 : Study of the Intertropical Geosphere Programme (PEGI / CNRS-INSU-ORSTOM), theme « alterations », Project « Geochemical and mineralogical tracers of the alteration-erosion processes at the interface of a laterite alteration cover and its aquiferous outlet »
1994 - 1995 and 1995 - 1996: Integrated Franco-German Action (PROCOPE) « Defaults in quartz and kaolinite as tracers of alteration and erosion processes in tropical humid regions » (Co-direction with the Institute of Mineralogy, University of Marburg)
1994 - 1997: USP-COFECUB Project « Study of soils and sediments of Brazilian Amazon with a view to their rational exploitation » (co-direction with the Univ. Sao Paulo / USP)
1995 - 1997 : PEGI Project « Fractionation processes and hydrogeochemical cycles of major elements and trace elements in a tropical humid ecosystem (South-Cameroon) ».
1997 - 1999 : GEOMATERIAUX (INSU - CNRS) Programme, Project « Distribution of iron and titanium in natural kaolins and products resulting from their thermal transformation ».
1994 - 1997: USP-COFECUB Project « Kaolins of the Brazilian Amazon : typology, crystallochemistry, speciation of iron and titanium » (co-direction with the USP Brazil)
-> Participation
1974 : Programmed Thematic Action (PTA) CNRS-ORSTOM « Reception structures and storage mechanisms of matter in landscapes. Corresponding experimental models »
1977 : ATP-CNRS-ORSTOM « Transport of matter in the terrestrial crust phenomena »
1978 : ATP CNRS "Systemic approach in Earth Sciences »
1988 : Interdisciplinary Research Programme in Tropical Africa (PIRAT) « Behaviour of rare earth and associated elements (U, Th, Zr, Nb,...) during laterite alteration »
1989 : INSU-DBT National programme (Dynamics and Balance on Earth) « Fractionation mechanisms of uranium, thorium and rare elements, of cerium in particular, in Cameroon laterites »
1990-1993 : PICS (International Programme in Scientific Cooperation) Brazil, project « Alteration Erosion Transfer (AET) »
1991 - 1993 : Programme PEGI, theme « Grands Bassins Fluviaux », Project « Mineralogy, cristalchemistry and Geochemistryod suspended paticles in the Oubangi river (Congo) »
1994 - 1996 : National programme PEGI, theme « Deterioration », Project « Cristallochemical approach to the dynamics of transfer of matter at the scale of a small experimental watershed (Zoétélé, Cameroon) »
1994 - 1999 : CEE-COST Programme (European Cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research / European Concerted Action COST D5 on "Chemistry at Surfaces and Interfaces), Project « The role of the solid-liquid interface in the transformations of natural environment. Basic study of the mechanisms involved in the evolution of solids and fate of mobile elements”.
1996 - 1999 : NSF Project (National Fund Foundation, USA) – CNRS “XAFS Determination of the Chemical Speciation of Lead, Arsenic and Zinc in Contaminated Soils and Mine Tailings: a Comparative Study of contaminated Sites in the United States and France”.
1997 - 1999 : PROSE Programme (Programme in Environmental Sciences ; CNRS/INSU - ORSTOM), Project « Geochemistry of rivers »
1997 - 1999 : PROSE Programme, Project « Fractionation processes and hydrogeochemical cycles of major elements and in trace, in rivers of South-Cameroon »
1997 - 1999 : GEOMATERIAUX Programme (INSU - CNRS), Project « Distribution of iron and titanium in natural kaolins and products resulting from their thermal transformation »
1998 - 1999 : PROSE Programme, Project « Dynamics of iron in the lateritic covers of the Amazon basin »
Contracts with industrial firms
1990 - 1992, CLAYS and MINERALS (AGS) : « Spectroscopic approach to the typology of kaolins in the region of Charentes, France » (in relation with the Direction of Research and Promotion of Minerals of the French Ministry of Research and Technology)
1990 - 1993, PECHINEY : « Spectroscopic study of iron distribution in the bauxite minerals of Guinea, in view of improving the processing of this aluminium-bearing material»
1992 - 1994, COMPANIE SENEGALAISE DES PHOSPHATES DE TAÏBA: « Study of the location of impurities in some fertilizers : search for cadnium in di-ammonic phosphate »
1994 - 1995: HENRI BEAUFOUR INSTITUTE « Structural and cristallochemical study smectites »
1994 - 1998, ENGELHART COMPANY (USA ; 2 contracts) : « Cristalchemistry ( EPR Spectrometry, IR and Visible) of Georgia’s kaolins in view of their usage in the pulp industry ».
1997 - 1998, MINCERAL (IMETAL group) : « Mineralogical study of the Thiviers sandstone. Effect of temperature on colour »
Research and Expertise
Themes
-> 1987 - 1998 : Crystallochemistry of minerals and materials of low temperature environments (Appointment to the Laboratory of Mineralogy and Cristallography of Paris (LMCP), UMR CNRS / Universities Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) / Denis Diderot (Paris VII) / Institute of Earth Physics of Paris (IPGP) ; fields in Cameroon, Brazil, Mexico and France).
- Analysis of the relations between the structure and properties of minerals and the geochemical characteristics of environments, in order to (i) better understand the genesis and evolution of superficial materials and, (ii) to better define the role of minerals in the transport, trapping and speciation of elements on the Earth’s surface ;
- Implementation of diverse spectroscopies (EPR ; diffuse reflectance UV-near-vis IR ; Mössbauer ; IRTF) ;
- Axes of research : usage of minerals as geological markers; tracing of transfers and exchanges of matter at the scale of large tropical basins (Global Change perspective); valorisation of materials (kaolins); environment protection (indirect tracing of radioelements in the geosphere) ;
- Applications : prospecting of uranium under laterite cover ; monitoring of transfers of radioelements close to radioactive waste stockage zones ; tracing of toxic heavy elements ; industrial use of kaolins, bauxites and smectites.
-> 1981 - 1987 : Petrology of laterites (Appointment to the Laboratory of Pedology of the University Denis Diderot (Paris VII), UFR of Earth Physical Sciences ; fields in Cameroon)
- Analysis of the mechanisms of transformation, transfer and accumulation of matter responsible for soils of humid and forest tropical regions (laterites; oxisols) ;
- Analysis of “secondary” mineral parageneses (kaolinite; iron and aluminium oxy-hydroxides) : emphasis put on the impurities and defects of kaolinites and iron oxy-hydroxides as tracers for conditions of formation and evolution of lateritic formations ;
- Implementation of petrology tools (optical microscopies, SEM, TEM, microprobe) and several tools of mineralogy (XRD, IR and EPR spectroscopies).
-> 1969 - 1981 : Mapping and taxonomy of soils (Appointed to the ORSTOM centre of Libreville, then to the ORSTOM centre and the National Office for Scientific and Technical Research (ONAREST) of Yaoundé ; fields in Gabon then in Cameroon)
- mapping of soils and of their agricultural aptitudes from humid forest regions to sub-sahelian dry regions ;
- soil taxonomy with a view to drawing inventories and analysis of their use for agriculture; structural and chemical characterisation of laterite formations.
Results
- More than 200 publications, of which 75 articles published in refereed journals (list on demand)
- 175 conference lectures (oral presentations or posters), of which 20 invitations to conferences and 65 participations in international seminars (list on demand) ; 3 awards for « best poster » in the USA
- Different types of reports intended for social and economic decision-makers
- Highlights :
. new interpretation of the setting-up of lateritic soils
. development of the "crystallochemistry" tool and use for tracing of transfers and exchanges of matter on the Earth’s surface, and notably the processes of weathering and erosion ; original discoveries concerning the defects and impurities of kaolinites
. applications of the crystallochemistry of alteration minerals to very diverse domains : prospecting, promotion of geomaterials, environment protection
Teaching and training
Teaching
. Initiation to Pedology, Faculty of Sciences of Yaoundé, Cameroon (1977-80)
. DEA (French M.Phil Level Diploma) in Pedology, University of Paris VII, France (1983-85)
. DEA in Environment Geosciences, University Aix- Marseille III, France (1989-90)
. DESS (French M.Phil Level Diploma) in Surface Geophysics, University of Paris VII, France (1990-1994)
. M.A in Geochemistry, University of Paris VII, France (1990 - 1997)
. DEA in Geomaterials, University of Marne-la-Vallée, France (1996 - 1997)
Supervision
. 2 post-doctorates
. 7 doctorates (6 students recruited : BRGM ; CNRS ; IRD ; Lyonnaise des Eaux; Engelhard Company / USA)
. 23 Masters, DEA and DESS level dissertations
Miscellaneous
- 1975 - 1980 (Cameroon) : Organisation and management of the Pedology Section of the National Office for Scientific and Technical Research (ONAREST) ; representative of Cameroon to the African Unity Organisation (1979, for Geosciences) ; consultant to different services of the Cameroonian government (Ministries for Planning, Agriculture, Health ; Agricultural Services), institutions of research and higher studies (Universities, Higher National School for Agronomy, institutes other than the ONAREST), prospecting companies (BRGM, Mining project of the PNUD), farming companies (sugarcane, corn, heveas,...), research departments (BDPA, GTZ, SEDA, ..), international funding agencies (World Bank, FED, FAO)
- 1980 - 1990 : Sessions of adult continuing education (France, USA, Germany / NATO) : techniques for physical analysis of minerals ; remote-sensing
- 1982 – 1985 : Creation of a laboratory for physical analysis of soils (MET, MEB, mass spectrometry, ...) at the ORSTOM centre in Bondy
- 1989 – 1998 : member of 15 theses juries
- 1990 – 1998 : Member of several scholarly societies : French Society of Mineralogy-Cristallography (SFMC ; Vice-President from 1999 to 2003) ; European Union of Geosciences (EUG) ; Clay Mineralogical Society of America (CMS) ; Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) ; International Association for the Study of Clays (AIPEA) ; French Group for Clays (GFA)
- 1990 -1998 : « Review » of articles of several international journals : Clays and Clay Minerals, Clay Minerals, Chemical Geology, Applied Clay Science, Geochimica & Cosmochimica Acta
- 1997 – 2002 : Member of several committees and councils : CCSPE (Comittee for Coordination of Earth and Environmental Sciences ; pilot committee for “Aire-Development” ; directorial committee french Centre on Population and Development (CEPED) ; directorial committee of the European Centre for Research in Economics Development (DIAL) ; Committee of Directors of french scientific Organisations (CDO) ; committee of the national Programme for coastal environment ; Scientific and Educational Council of the Doctoral School of the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris (IPGP)
- 1998 -2002 : Jury member of numerous examinations
(1) Usage and management of biodiversity (quantitative approach), taxonomic expertise (usage of the NICT), medicinal plants in Ecology ; medical traditions in South Asia, social aspects of transmission of A, spatial epidemiology (vector-borne diseases), labour and microfinance, urban development and social management of water in Social Sciences ; historical Atlas (digital) and architectural and religious heritage of
(2) At the request of the Inter-ministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development (CICID), the IRD has created an Inter-establishment Agency of Research for Development (AIRD) having as mission to enhance the national effort towards research for development (mobilization of all the agents involved in French research ; mutual sharing of competencies and resources of universities and large institutions).
