Michel Diament appointed full member of the Bureau des Longitudes
By decree of the President of the Republic dated 27 January 2025, Michel Diament, physicist emeritus at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, has been appointed a member of the Bureau des Longitudes. He succeeds Jean-Paul Poirier, an honorary member of this institution.
Michel Diament, born in 1954, is a recognised specialist in geophysics and geodesy. He holds doctorates in geophysics from the University of Paris-Sud (Orsay), and began his career as a teacher-researcher in 1982 before joining the IPGP in 1990. His scientific career covers a wide range of disciplines, from marine geosciences to global geodynamics, including short-period seismology, applied geophysics, volcanology and the study of the mechanical behaviour of the lithosphere. He is a recognised expert in variations in the Earth’s gravity field, notably via satellite gravimetry and ground and airborne gravity measurement devices. His recent work focuses on the analysis of gravimetric variations linked to major earthquakes and post-seismic processes, as well as on the study of eruptive processes in volcanoes.
In addition to his research activities, Michel Diament has played an important role in several scientific institutions: Deputy Scientific Director for Solid Earth at the Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU) of the CNRS (2011-2014), member of scientific committees of major organisations (CNES, ESA, IFREMER, IGN, IRD, etc.), head of the Franco-Indonesian cooperation programme on geological hazards. He has actively contributed to the activities of the Bureau des Longitudes since 2010 as a corresponding member.
The Bureau des Longitudes and its links with the Institut de physique du globe de Paris
Founded in 1795, the Bureau des Longitudes is a historic scientific institution that was initially set up to improve maritime navigation through the accuracy of astronomical and geodetic measurements. Today, its scope has broadened to include celestial mechanics, geodesy and the definition of reference frames for time and space, all of which are directly related to the IPGP’s missions. Other members of the IPGP sit on the Bureau des Longitudes: Jean-Louis Le Mouël (full member), Jean-Paul Poirier (honorary member), as well as Gauthier Hulot, Zuheir Altamimi and Isabelle Panet (Bureau secretary), all three corresponding members.
