72 Women Scientists Joining the Eiffel Tower in 2026

#1 Denise Albe-Fessard (1916–2003) – Neurophysiologist
A pioneer of electrophysiology, she was the first to record intracellular brain activity in mammals. Her work transformed the understanding of pain pathways in the nervous system. She later became the first president of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

#2 Yvette Amice (1936–1993) – Mathematician
She founded the French school of p-adic analysis, a key area in number theory. Her work on p-adic interpolation influenced both mathematics and computer science. She also played a major role in academic leadership and international collaboration.

#3 Jeanne Baret (1740–1807) – Botanist, Explorer
The first woman to circumnavigate the globe, she did so disguised as a man. She collected and classified thousands of plant specimens during her expedition. Two plant species now bear her name and also a mountain on Pluto.

#4 Denise Barthomeuf (1934–2004) – Materials Chemist
A specialist in catalysis and zeolites, she worked across academia and industry in France and the US. Her research advanced porous materials used in energy and purification. An international prize now bears her name.

#5 Madeleine Brès (1842–1921) – Physician
The first French woman to earn a medical doctorate, she devoted her career to pediatrics and public health. Barred from hospital internships, she built her own institutions. She died in poverty despite national recognition.

#6 Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat (1923–2025) – Physicist, Mathematician
She laid the mathematical foundations of general relativity. Her work predicted gravitational waves decades before experimental proof. She was the first woman elected to the French Academy of Sciences.

#7 Simonne Caillère (1905–1999) – Geologist, Mineralogist
A specialist in clay minerals, she published over 330 scientific papers. She worked on geological mapping in France and abroad. A scientific prize now honors her work.

#11 Anita Conti (1899–1997) – Oceanographer
France’s first female oceanographer, she documented marine ecosystems aboard fishing vessels. She was among the first to warn about overfishing. Her work combined science, photography, and early ecology.

#12 Eugénie Cotton (1881–1967) – Physicist
A specialist in magnetism and science education, she led the ENSJF. Removed under the Vichy regime, she later became an international feminist leader. Schools and institutions still carry her name.

#13 Radhia Cousot (1947–2014) – Computer Scientist
She co-invented abstract interpretation, now central to software verification. Her work made it possible to detect errors automatically in complex programs. It remains foundational in cybersecurity.

#14 Odile Croissant (1923–2020) – Biophysicist
A pioneer of electron microscopy, she developed techniques to visualize viruses. She enabled the first viral diagnoses by microscopy. She later proved links between viruses and cancer.

#15 Marie Curie (1867–1934) – Physicist
The only person to win two Nobel Prizes in two sciences, she discovered polonium and radium. She founded radioactivity research. During WWI, she created mobile radiology units.

#24 Jacqueline Ferrand (1918–2014) – Mathematician
Her work shaped complex analysis and geometry. She opened the path for women in high-level mathematics. A major prize now bears her name.

#25 Jacqueline Ficini (1923–1988) – Organic Chemist
A pioneer of ynamine chemistry, she transformed organic synthesis. Her work still influences modern chemistry. She also fought for women’s place in research.

#26 Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958) – Physico-chemist
Her X-ray images were essential to discovering DNA’s structure. The data were used without her consent. Her role was recognized only posthumously. The ExoMars rover, launching in 2028, will carry her name and search for traces of past life on Mars.

#27 Marthe Gautier (1925–2022) – Physician, Biologist
She discovered the chromosomal cause of Down syndrome. Her work was erased from the original publication. She became a symbol of scientific injustice.

#28 Sophie Germain (1776–1831) – Mathematician
Self-taught, she corresponded with Gauss under a male name. She laid foundations of elasticity theory. Her work was crucial to the Eiffel Tower.

#29 Jeanne Guiot (1889–1963) – Engineer
One of the first women engineers in heavy industry, she worked on steel and energy systems. She also organized wartime volunteer programs. She fought for women’s rights in science.

#30 Geneviève Guitel (1895–1982) – Mathematician
She studied how civilizations write numbers. She defined long and short scale systems. Her work remains a reference.

#31 Sébastienne Guyot (1896–1941) – Aeronautical Engineer
She designed aircraft and filed multiple patents. She was also an Olympic athlete. A member of the Resistance, she died after imprisonment.

#32 Claudine Hermann (1945–2021) – Physicist
The first woman professor at École Polytechnique, she later dedicated her life to gender equality in science. She co-founded Femmes & Sciences. Her impact was institutional and cultural.

#33 Andrée Hoppilliard (1909–1995) – Aeronautical Engineer
She specialized in aircraft construction. She also led women’s engineering networks. Her work legitimized women in aviation engineering.

#34 Marie-Louise Jacotin (1905–1972) – Mathematician
A major figure in algebra, she modernized its teaching. She became the first woman mathematics professor in France. Her textbooks shaped generations.

#35 Geneviève Jourdain (1946–2007) – Computer Engineer
A pioneer of signal processing, she worked on underwater acoustics and telecommunications. Her research bridged disciplines. She shaped national research policy.

#36 Irène Joliot-Curie (1897–1956) – Chemist, Physicist
She co-discovered artificial radioactivity and won the Nobel Prize. She led major nuclear research institutions. Her work transformed medicine and energy.

#37 Dorothea Klumpke (1861–1942) – Astronomer
She was the first woman to earn a doctorate in science at the Sorbonne. She worked at the Paris Observatory on the international Carte du Ciel project. She later directed the measurements office and trained many women astronomers.

#38 Lydie Koch (1931–2023) – Physicist
She played a major role in developing astrophysics at the CEA. She worked on cosmic rays and led the Astrophysics Section from 1967 to 1979. She also contributed to space detector projects and X-ray and gamma astronomy.

#39 Colette Kreder (1934–2022) – Engineer
She massively improve access to scientific and technical fields. She co-founded the network Demain la Parité and the association Femmes & Sciences, which became key structures in the scientific world.

#41 Cornélie Lebon-de Brambilla (1885–1971) – Physician
She played an essential role in the development and promotion of urban gas lighting and received the prize from the Société d’Encouragement de l’Industrie Nationale, along with a life annuity by imperial decree.

#42 Yolande Le Calvez (1910–2002) – Geologist, Paleontologist
She began her career as a geological engineer at the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Géophysiques, later joining the CNRS. She worked at the National Museum of Natural History, where she led the micropaleontology laboratory. Her career was dedicated to the study of microfossils and geological history.

#43 Paulette Libermann (1919–2007) – Mathematician
She was a major figure in differential geometry. Her work shaped symplectic geometry and its links to physics. She also trained and influenced generations of mathematicians.

#44 Marianne Manago (1921–2013) – Biochemist
She discovered a key enzyme involved in RNA synthesis. Her work helped lay the foundations of modern molecular biology. She later became president of the International Union of Biochemistry.

#45 Nicole Mangin (1878–1919) – Physician
One of the first women doctors in France, she served as a military physician during World War I. She directed hospitals close to the front under extreme conditions. Her role was largely erased after the war.

#46 Cécile Morette (1922–2021) – Physicist
She worked on quantum mechanics and path integrals. Her research influenced theoretical physics and cosmology. She also played a key role in international scientific cooperation.

#47 Edith Mourier (1920–2017) – Mathematician
She was a pioneer of probability theory in France, joining early research at the Institut Henri Poincaré in 1944. Her doctoral work led to the Fortet–Mourier theorem and the Fortet–Mourier distance, still used today in probability and statistics. She later taught at the Universities of Poitiers and Paris.

#48 Ethel Moustacchi (1933–2016) – Biochemist
She led major research on DNA damage, radiobiology, mutagenesis, and DNA repair at the Institut Curie and on the Orsay campus. She later became scientific advisor for biology at the French Atomic Energy Commission.

#49 Suzanne Noël (1878–1954) – Plastic Surgeon
A pioneer of reconstructive surgery, she treated soldiers disfigured in World War I. She used surgery to help women regain autonomy. She founded Soroptimist International.

#50 Yvonne Odic (1890–1981) – Mechanical Engineer
She worked in one of Paris’s largest wartime factories, where she developed special steels, and also contributed to radiographic and meteorological services. She later took part in founding the French National Union of Mechanical Engineers, helping structure the profession.

#51 Isabelle Olivieri (1957–2016) – Agronomist, Evolutionary Biologist
She was recruited by INRA and later became professor of population genetics at the University of Montpellier. Her work on evolutionary modeling, conservation, and speciation earned her major international recognition.

#52 Marie-Louise Paris (1889–1969) – Engineer
She founded the first institute dedicated to training women engineers in France. In 1933, this initiative became the École polytechnique féminine, which she later relocated and sustained despite major institutional resistance. The school still exists today and remains a key engineering institution.

#53 Marguerite Perey (1909–1975) – Physicist
She was an assistant to Marie Curie and specialized in radioactive elements. She discovered the element francium and found a nuclear chemistry laboratory in Strasbourg. She became the first woman elected corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences in 1962.

#54 Claudine Picardet (1735–1820) – Chemist
A pioneer of scientific translation in at least four languages, she made major chemical works accessible and helped spread modern chemical theory across Europe. Her work was essential to knowledge diffusion.

#55 Alberte Pullman (1920–2011) – Chemist
A founder of quantum biochemistry, she applied quantum mechanics to biological molecules. Her research transformed the study of DNA and proteins. She created an international research school and served as honorary director of theoretical biochemistry at the Institut de biologie physico-chimique in Paris.

#56 Pauline Ramart (1880–1953) – Chemist
She became the second woman professor at the Sorbonne in 1935 and later directed research at the CNRS during World War II. Her scientific work on ultraviolet spectra and chemical reactions earned major recognition, alongside a career that bridged academia and public life.

#57 Lucie Randoin (1885–1960) – Biochemist
A pioneer of nutrition science, she led the physiology of nutrition laboratory at INRA and founded the Institut supérieur de l’alimentation. She was among the first to demonstrate the role of vitamins B and C in human health, helping establish modern dietetics. She also became the first woman biologist elected to the French Academy of Medicine

#58 Alice Recouque (1929–2021) – Computer Scientist
A pioneer of artificial intelligence, she worked on early learning machines and robotics and led key research on machine miniaturization, memory systems, and parallel computing. Her research anticipated modern AI concepts. She helped establish computer science in France.

#59 Michelle Schatzman (1949–2010) – Mathematician
She became professor at the University of Lyon and later director of research at the CNRS, leading applied mathematics laboratories. Her work on partial differential equations and vortex dynamics in superconductors earned her major scientific recognition.

#60 Anne-Marcelle Schrameck (1896–1965) – Engineer and Chemist
She became the first woman engineer to graduate from a French grande école after completing the École des mines de Saint-Étienne. She worked in a chemical plant in Lorraine, supervising underground operations 700 meters below ground.

#61 Marie-Hélène Schwartz (1913–2013) – Mathematician
She played a pioneering role in algebraic geometry that later became known as Schwartz–MacPherson characteristic classes. Her work anticipated major results later formalized by Grothendieck and Deligne. She taught for decades at the Universities of Reims and Lille.

#62 Josiane Serre (1922–2004) – Organic Chemist
She was a pioneer of quantum chemistry and her theoretical work on acetylenic compounds was internationally recognized and helped establish this emerging discipline. As director of the ENSJF, she played a key role in training a generation of women for academic and research careers.

#63 Alice Sollier (1861–1942) – Psychiatrist
She became the first woman from a racial minority in France to earn the baccalauréat and a medical doctorate, specializing in psychiatry and neurology. She directed a private medical institution and a sanatorium, treating nervous disorders and addiction.

#64 Hélène Sparrow (1891–1970) – Biologist, Physician
She joined the Institut Pasteur and became head of a laboratory in Tunis in 1933. She led major research missions on bacterial diseases for the WHO across several continents and developed the typhus vaccine known as Durand–Sparrow.

#65 Bianca Tchoubar (1910–1990) – Organic Chemist
She was a pioneer of 20th-century organic chemistry. Her doctoral work on molecular rearrangements transformed the understanding of chemical reactions using resonance and mesomerism concepts.

#66 Marie-Antoinette Tonnelat (1912–1980) – Theoretical Physicist
Specialist in relativity and unified theories, she worked on linking gravitation and electromagnetism. She collaborated with major figures including Einstein and Schrödinger and later became director of research at the CNRS. She held the chair of theoretical physics at the University of Paris and later directed its theoretical physics center.

#67 Thérèse Tréfouël (1892–1978) – Chemist
She developed major therapeutic compounds against sleeping sickness, malaria, and syphilis. She also co-discovered the therapeutic properties of sulfonamides, opening the era of synthetic antibiotics.

#68 Agnès Ullmann (1927–2019) – Microbiologist
A close collaborator of Jacques Monod, she played a key role in the development of molecular biology. Her work on genetic regulation and allostery contributed to major advances in treatments and vaccines.

#69 Arlette Vassy (1913–2000) – Geophysicist
She was a pioneer in the study of atmospheric ozone and defended a thesis on light absorption by the atmosphere. She contributed significantly to exploring the upper atmosphere through rockets and later satellites, serving as scientific advisor for numerous launches. She identified early signs of ozone depletion and later led the French sounding rocket program.

#70 Suzanne Veil (1886–1956) – Physico-chemist
Trained in Marie Curie’s laboratory, she taught radiology methods to nurses during World War I. Her research on metal oxides, isotopes, and radiological applications bridged fundamental science and industry.

#71 Jeanne Villepreux (1794–1871) – Marine Biologist
A pioneer of marine biology, her work proved how the argonaut mollusk reproduces and settled a major scientific debate of her time. She is considered the founder of aquariology, decades before the first public aquariums appeared.

#72 Toshiko Yuasa (1909–1980) – Nuclear Physicist
The first woman physicist in Japan and became a specialist in beta radiation and nuclear spectra. She developed her own spectrometer and later joined the CNRS at Orsay, where she continued her research on radioactivity. She also warned early about the dangers of nuclear testing.

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