Alain Fuchs
{{Short description|Swiss-born French chemist (1953–2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
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| name = Alain Fuchs
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1953|04|10|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|12|08|1953|04|10|df=yes}}
| death_place = Paris, France
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| nationality = French
| fields = Physical Chemistry
| workplaces = {{ublist |PSL Research University |Centre national de la recherche scientifique |University of Paris-Sud |Chimie ParisTech |Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie}}
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| education = École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
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| doctoral_advisor = Henri Szwarc
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Alain Fuchs (10 April 1953 – 8 December 2024) was a Swiss-born French chemist. A Doctor of Science and Professor of Chemistry, he specialised in molecular simulation. Fuchs served as the president of Chimie ParisTech - PSL from 2006 to 2010. He also served as the president of the French National Centre for Scientific Research from 2010 to 2017.{{cite news|last1=Jacqué|first1=Philippe|title=Un nouveau patron pour le CNRS|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2010/01/14/un-nouveau-patron-pour-le-cnrs_1291882_3224.html|accessdate=3 April 2016|work=Le Monde|date=14 January 2010}}{{'}}{{cite news|title= Anne Peyroche est nommée présidente du CNRS par intérim |url= http://www2.cnrs.fr/presse/communique/5275.htm |work= CNRS |date= 24 October 2017 |accessdate= 24 October 2017}} Fuchs became an Officer of the Legion of Honour in 2014.{{cite journal|title=ORDRE NATIONAL DU MÉRITE|journal=Journal Officiel de la République Française|date=15 May 2014|url=http://www.legiondhonneur.fr/sites/default/files/onm_20140515.pdf|accessdate=3 April 2016}}
From 24 October 2017 until 26 June 2024, Fuchs was president of PSL University (Paris Sciences & Lettres).{{Cite web|url=https://www.univ-psl.fr/en/actualites/alain-fuchs-elected-president-psl|title=Alain Fuchs elected president of PSL {{!}} PSL|website=www.univ-psl.fr|language=en|access-date=9 October 2017}}{{cite web | url=https://www.aefinfo.fr/depeche/714531-alain-fuchs-demissionne-de-la-presidence-de-psl | title=Alain Fuchs démissionne de la présidence de PSL- AEFinfo }}
Biography
Alain Fuchs graduated as a Chemical engineer (1975) at EPFL. In 1983, he became a doctor in Physical Chemistry at Université Paris-Sud (now Paris-Saclay University; his dissertation was “Cristaux vitreux et transition vitreuse” (about glass crystals).Alain Fuchs Cristaux vitreux et transition vitreuse - Université Paris-Sud - 1983 – Doctoral advisor : Henri Szwarc - Dissertation number: 1983PA112380 - [http://www.sudoc.fr/043134777 SUDOC website] - Worldcat : 490643197 He was also a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh (1984–1985).{{cite journal|language=French|url=http://www.industrie-techno.com/alain-fuchs-un-pedagogue-a-la-tete-du-cnrs.36343|author=Jean-François Preveraud|date=18 February 2015 |website=Industrie&technologies|title=Alain Fuchs, un pédagogue à la tête du CNRS|accessdate=23 April 2015}}
= Career =
Fuchs joined CNRS in 1985 as a research fellow. He became a research director in 1991. In 1995, he became chemistry professor at Université Paris-Sud. Between 2000 and 2005, he set up and directed the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry (UMR 8000) at Campus d'Orsay. He also worked as the President of the agrégation in chemistry from 1998 to 2001 and he directed the Section 13 of the Comité national de la recherche scientifique between 2004 and 2008. He was also Professor at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) in thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics, intermolecular and surface forces, molecular simulation techniques, history of chemistry and physical chemistry. He served as the president of Chimie ParisTech from 2006 to 2010.
In January 2010, he was appointed President of the CNRS, succeeding Catherine Bréchignac (former President) d'Arnold Migus (former managing director).{{cite news|language=French|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2010/01/21/alain-fuchs-une-nouvelle-chimie-pour-le-cnrs_1294851_3224.html|author=Philippe Jacqué|title=Alain Fuchs : une nouvelle chimie pour le CNRS|newspaper=Le Monde|date=21 January 2010}}{{cite web|language=French|url=http://www2.cnrs.fr/presse/communique/1772.htm|title=Communiqué - Alain Fuchs est nommé président du CNRS|website=CNRS|date=20 January 2010|accessdate=8 April 2015}}Décret du 21 janvier 2010 portant nomination du président du Centre national de la recherche scientifique, JORF n°0018 du 22 janvier 2010 page 1427, texte n° 90 Fuchs’s mandate ended in 2014. After holding the position in interim for one month,{{in lang|fr}} Arrêté du 10 janvier 2014 portant attribution de fonctions au Centre national de la recherche scientifique, JORF n°0013 du 16 janvier 2014 page 760 texte n° 46 he was appointed again by the Ministry of Higher Education.{{in lang|fr}} Décret du 27 février 2014 portant nomination du président du Centre national de la recherche scientifique, JORF n°0050 du 28 février 2014 page 3943 texte n° 112
In October 2017, Fuchs quit the position of CNRS President and became the President of Université PSL (collegiate university including 9 members and 10 associate members). He left the position for personal reasons in June 2024.
= Death =
Fuchs died in Paris on 8 December 2024, at the age of 71.{{Cite news |date=2024-12-11 |title=La mort du chimiste Alain Fuchs, ancien président du CNRS et grand promoteur de l'autonomie des universités |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2024/12/11/la-mort-du-chimiste-alain-fuchs-ancien-president-du-cnrs-et-grand-promoteur-de-l-autonomie-des-universites_6443080_3382.html |access-date=2024-12-14 |language=fr}}{{Cite web |title=Décès du Pr Alain Fuchs, ancien président de l'Université PSL de 2017 à 2024 |url=https://curie.fr/actualite/institutionnel/deces-du-pr-alain-fuchs-ancien-president-de-luniversite-psl-de-2017-2024 |access-date=10 December 2024 |website=Institut Curie |language=fr}}
Fields of research
His research activity was dedicated to the theory, modelling and molecular thermodynamics of fluids confined in various types of porous materials modeling and molecular simulation of confined fluids.{{cite web|language=french|author=Educpro|title=Alain Fuchs: Biography|year=2017|url=https://www.letudiant.fr/educpros/personnalites/fuchs-alain-325.html}} “Forced intrusion of water and aqueous solutions in microporous materials: from fundamental thermodynamics to energy storage devices”{{cite journal|author1=Guillaume Fraux|author2=François-Xavier Coudert|author3=Anne Boutin|author4=Alain Fuchs|title=Forced intrusion of water and aqueous solutions in microporous materials: from fundamental thermodynamics to energy storage devices|journal=Chem. Soc. Rev.|issue=46|pages=7421–7437|year=2017}} (Chem. Soc. Rev.,46 (2017)) or “On the use of the IAST method for gas separation studies in porous materials with gate-opening behavior”{{cite journal|author1=Thomas D. Bennett|author2= Anthony K. Cheetham|author3= Alain H. Fuchs|author4= François-Xavier Coudert|title=Interplay between defects, disorder and flexibility in metal-organic frameworks|journal=Nature Chemistry|year=2017|volume= 9|issue=9|pages=11–16|doi= 10.1038/nchem.2691|pmid= 27995920|arxiv= 1904.09497|bibcode= 2017NatCh...9...11B|s2cid= 205297136}} (Adsorption, 24 (2018)) are part of his last recent and major publications.
Alain Fuchs was a member of the Academia Europaea{{cite web|url=http://www.ae-info.org/ae/User/Fuchs_Alain|title=Alain H. Fuchs|website=Academia Europaea|access-date=23 March 2015}} and he was a member of the editorial board of the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
Fuchs co-authored two books:
- {{cite book|language=French|author1= Anne Boutin | author2= Gilberte Dosseh | author3= Alain Fuchs |title=Éléments de thermodynamique. Cours et exercices corrigés pour le deuxième cycle de chimie, chimie-physique et sciences physiques|publisher=Elsevier Masson|year=1997}}
- {{cite book | language=French|author1=Georges Bram| author2= Françoise Chamozzi| author3= Alain Fuchs| author4=André Grelon| author5=Caroline Lanciano-Morandat| author6=Laurence Mordenti|title=La Chimie dans la société. Son rôle, son image|publisher=L’Harmattan|year=1995}}
= Major works =
- {{cite journal|author1= Anne Boutin |author2=François-Xavier Coudert |author3= Guillaume Fraux |author4=Alain Fuchs|title=Forced intrusion of water and aqueous solutions in microporous materials: from fundamental thermodynamics to energy storage devices|journal=Chem. Soc. Rev.|volume=46|pages=7421–7437|year=2017|issue=23 |doi=10.1039/C7CS00478H |pmid=29051934 |doi-access=free}}
- {{cite journal|author1=Thomas D. Bennett|author2= Anthony K. Cheetham |author3= François-Xavier Coudert |author4= Alain Fuchs |title=Interplay between defects, disorder and flexibility in metal-organic frameworks|journal=Nature Chemistry|year=2017|volume=9|issue= 1 |pages=11–16 |doi=10.1038/nchem.2691|pmid= 27995920 |arxiv=1904.09497|bibcode= 2017NatCh...9...11B |s2cid= 205297136 }}
- {{cite journal|author1= François-Xavier Coudert |author2= Alain Fuchs |title= Computational characterization and prediction of metal-organic framework properties|journal= Coordination Chemistry Reviews|volume=307|year=2016|pages=2011–236|doi= 10.1016/j.ccr.2015.08.001 |arxiv= 1506.08219 |s2cid= 94219114 }}
- {{cite journal|author1= Thomas D. Bennett | author2= Anthony K. Cheetham | author3= François-Xavier Coudert| author4= Alain Fuchs |title= Flexibility and disorder in metal-organic frameworks |journal= Dalton Transactions|volume=45|year=2016| issue= 10 | pages= 4058–4059 | doi= 10.1039/c6dt90026g| pmid= 26902898 | url= https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02145004/file/postprint.pdf }}
- {{cite journal|author1=Anne Boutin|author2= François-Xavier Coudert |author3=Alain Fuchs|author4= Aurélie U. Ortiz |title= Anisotropic elastic properties of flexible metal-organic frameworks: how soft are soft porous crystals? |url=https://archive.org/details/arxiv-1209.6378|journal= Physical Review Letters |volume=109|year=2012|issue= 19 |page=195502|doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.195502|pmid= 23215398 |arxiv=1209.6378|bibcode= 2012PhRvL.109s5502O |s2cid= 5759301 }}
- {{cite journal|author1=Anne Boutin|author2= François-Xavier Coudert |author3=Alain Fuchs|author4= Alexander V. Neimark|title= Stress-based model for the " breathing " of metal-organic frameworks |journal= Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters|issue=1|year=2010|page=445 }}
- {{cite journal|author1=Anne Boutin|author2= François-Xavier Coudert |author3= Gerard Ferey |author4= Alain Fuchs|author5= Antoine Gedeon | author6= Thierry Loiseau |author7= Andrei Nossov | author8= Marie-Anne Springuel-Huet | author9= Christophe Volkringer |title= Breathing transitions in MIL-53(Al) Metal-Organic Framework upon xenon adsorption |journal= Angewandte Chemie International Edition|volume=48|year=2009|issue= 44 |pages= 8314–8317 | doi= 10.1002/anie.200903153|pmid= 19780084 |url= https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00548070/file/postprint.pdf }}
- {{cite journal|author1= Anne Boutin |author2= François-Xavier Coudert |author3=Alain Fuchs|author4= Marie Jeffroy|author5= Caroline Mellot-Draznieks| title= Thermodynamics of guest-induced structural transitions in hybrid organic-inorganic frameworks |journal= Journal of the American Chemical Society|volume=130|year=2008|issue= 43 |pages= 14294–14502 |doi= 10.1021/ja805129c |pmid= 18821758 |arxiv= 1904.09588 |s2cid= 19717405 }}
- {{cite journal|author1=Anne Boutin|author2= Fabien Cailliez|author3= Isabelle Demachy |author4=Alain Fuchs|author5= Joël Patarin |author6= Michel Soulard |author7= Mickael Trzpit |title= Thermodynamics of water intrusion in nanoporous hydrophobic solids |journal= Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics |volume=10|year=2008|issue= 32|pages= 4817–4826|doi= 10.1039/b807471b|pmid= 18688525|bibcode= 2008PCCP...10.4817C|s2cid= 205714019}}
- {{cite journal|author1=Anne Boutin|author2= Fabien Cailliez|author3= Isabelle Demachy |author4= Nicolas Desbiens |author5= Alain Fuchs |author6= Joël Patarin |author7= Michel Soulard |author8= Mickael Trzpit | title= The effect of local defects on water adsorption in silicalite-1 zeolite. A joint experimental and molecular simulation study |journal= Langmuir|issue=23|year=2007|page=10131}}
- {{cite journal|author1= Isabelle Demachy |author2= Nicolas Desbiens |author3= Alain Fuchs |author4= Helène Kirsch-Rodeschini |author5= Joël Patarin |author6 = Michel Soulard | title= Water condensation in hydrophobic nanopores |journal= Angewandte Chemie International Edition |volume=44|year=2005|issue= 33 |pages= 5310–3 |doi=10.1002/anie.200501250 |pmid= 16035017 }}
- {{cite journal|author1= Anthony K. Cheetham |author2=Alain Fuchs |title= Adsorption of guest molecules in zeolitic materials: computational aspects |journal= The Journal of Physical Chemistry B|volume=105|year=2001|issue=31 |page=7375|doi=10.1021/jp010702q }}
- {{cite journal|author1= Christele Beauvais |author2= Anne Boutin|author3=Jerome Delhommelle | author4=Alain Fuchs|author5=Bernard Rousseau|author6= Philippe Ungerer| title= Optimization of the anisotropic united atoms intermolecular potential for n-alkanes |journal= Journal of Chemical Physics |volume=112|year=2000|issue= 12|page=5499|doi= 10.1063/1.481116|bibcode= 2000JChPh.112.5499U}}
- {{cite journal|author1=Anne Boutin|author2=Alain Fuchs|author3=Jean-Bernard Maillet|title= Numerical evidence of an embryonic orientational phase transition in small nitrogen clusters |journal= Physical Review Letters|volume=76|year=1996|issue=23|pages=4336–4339|doi=10.1103/physrevlett.76.4336 |pmid=10061264|bibcode=1996PhRvL..76.4336M }}
Honours and awards
- Knight of {{Lang|fr|Palmes académiques|italic=no}} (1996)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2006)
- Knight of the Legion of Honour (2010){{in lang|fr}} Décret du 13 juillet 2010 portant promotion et nomination, JORF n°0161 du 14 juillet 2010 page 13049, texte n° 4
- Officer of the National Order of Merit (2014){{cite web|language=French|title=Ordre national du mérite - décret du 14 mai 2014|url = http://www.legiondhonneur.fr/sites/default/files/onm_20140515.pdf|website=Légion d'honneur|date=15 May 2014|accessdate=8 April 2015}}
- Officer of the National Order of Quebec (2014){{cite web|language=French|title=Alain Fuchs reçoit les insignes d'Officier de l'Ordre national du Québec des mains du Premier Ministre du Québec|url=http://www.cnrs.fr/derci/spip.php?article827|website=CNRS|date=7 November 2014|accessdate=18 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026182706/http://www.cnrs.fr/derci/spip.php?article827|archive-date=26 October 2018|url-status=dead}}
References
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Category:Scientists from Lausanne
Category:Academic staff of the University of Paris
Category:20th-century French chemists
Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour
Category:21st-century French chemists
Category:Paris-Saclay University alumni
Category:Research directors of the French National Centre for Scientific Research