Gilberte Chambaud, Emeritus Professor at Université Gustave Eiffel (Marne-la-Vallée), Paris, France, has been elected President of the French Chemical Society (SCF; Société Chimique de France) for the term 2024 to 2027. She succeeds Stanislas Pommeret from the CEA/Saclay Fundamental Research Division, Saclay, France.
Gilberte previously served as President of the French Chemical Society from 2015 to 2018. “It was when a strong effort was made to enhance the external communication of the SCF, with the online letter scf-info appearing twice a month, and monthly laboratory videos. During this period, the implementation of the French Young Chemists Network across all French regional sections was also developed. The SCF’s international relations were intensified via new binational awards with the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Chemical Society of Portugal.” she told ChemistryViews.
Gilberte Chambaud-Debrabant, born in Masny, France, in 1948, studied chemistry and earned her Ph.D. in theoretical chemistry from the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) and the University P. et M. Curie, Paris, France, under Bernard Lévy in 1980. She was an assistant professor (1972–1977), associate professor (1977–1985), and professor (1985–1990) at ENS. She was a guest researcher at the University of Frankfurt am Main (1990–1991) and a professor at ENS (1991–1992) and the University of Marne-la-Vallée (1992–2014). Since 2014, she has been a professor emeritus.
Chambaud-Debrabant has held various positions, including Scientific Director of the Institute of Chemistry at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Scientific Advisor at the National French Agency for the Evaluation of Research and Training (AERES), President of the Education Division of the French Chemical Society, and member of the Boards of the Synchrotron SOLEIL and the Chemical Industry Society (UIC).
She established the French–Chinese network in theoretical chemistry, implemented and coordinated the French Network of Theoretical Chemists with support from the French Ministry of Research and Education, and contributed to the Bologna Process and the European Tuning Project.
Gilberte was awarded the French Legion of Honour in 2007, became an Officer of the Palmes Académiques in 2012, an elected member of the Academia Europaea in 2016, an Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society in 2018, and a Chemistry Europe Fellow in 2020.
Gilberte Chambaud’s research focuses on quantum chemistry for molecular physics applications. She has specifically investigated the reactivity, stability, and identification of intermediate molecular species, as well as the structural determination of molecular systems and their accurate spectroscopic characterization. She has studied catalytic oxidoreduction reactions on various surfaces activated by metallic atoms and also researched multiscale models for the mechanical and piezoelectric properties of semiconductor nanowires and their related multiscale properties.
Selected Publications
- F. Goeltl, C. Houriez, M. Guitou, G. Chambaud, P. Sautet, Importance of a Nonlocal Description of Electron-Electron Interactions in Modeling the Dissociative Adsorption of H2 on Cu(100). Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2014, 118(10), 5374–5382. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp4118634
- M. Hoang, J. Yvonnet, A. Mitrushchenkov, G. Chambaud, First Principles Based Multiscale Model of Piezoelectric Nanowires with Surface Effects, Journal of Applied Physics 2013, 113(1). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4773333
- J. Yvonnet, A. Mitrushchenkov, G. Chambaud, Finite Element Model of Ionic Nanowires with Size-Dependent Mechanical Properties Determined by Ab-Initio Calculations, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 2011, 200(5–8), 614–625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2010.09.007
- C. Leonard, H. Gritli, G. Chambaud, New Study of the Stability and of the Spectroscopy of the Molecular Anions NCO– and CNO–. Journal of Chemical Physics 2010, 133(12), 124318. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3483463
- A. Mitrushchenkov, R. Linguerri, G. Chambaud, Piezoelectric Properties of AlN, ZnO, and HgxZn1-xO Nanowires by First-Principles Calculations, Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2009, 113(17), 6883–6886. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp9007015
- M. Guichemerre, G. Chambaud, H. Stoll, Electronic Structure and Spectroscopy of Monohalides of Metals of Groups I-B. Chemical Physics 2002, 280(1–2), 71–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-0104(02)00510-4
- S. Carter, N. C. Handy, G. Chambaud, P. Rosmus, A Variational Method for the Calculation of Spin Rovibronic Levels of Renner-Teller Triatomic Molecules. Molecular Physics 1990, 71(3), 605–622. https://doi.org/10.1080/00268979000102001
- W. Gabriel, G. Chambaud, P. Rosmus, S. Carter, N. C. Handy, Theoretical Study of the Renner-Teller (A)2A1-(X) 2B1 System of NH2, Molecular Physics 1994, 81(6), 1445–1461. https://doi.org/10.1080/00268979400100991
- G. Chambaud, P. Millie, B. Lévy, Ab-initio Hartree-Fock Instabilities in Closed-Shell Molecular Systems. Theoretica Chimica Acta 1978, 48(2), 103–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02399021
