At the end of August 2025, CEREGE celebrated its 30th anniversary with a week packed with scientific meetings, exchanges, exhibitions and festivities. These three days offered a unique reflection of the laboratory's role in the geosciences, its commitment to society and its interdisciplinary dynamism.
Photo credit : Jules Fleury and Lucas Longour
A two-day interdisciplinary symposium
On 26 and 27 August, CEREGE's Arbois campus hosted a interdisciplinary symposiumThe event brought together researchers from France and abroad. This meeting, which was both a focal point and a showcase for the laboratory's scientific excellence, combined plenary sessions, informal exchanges and convivial moments.
The first day of the symposium opened with a speech from Lucilla Benedetticurrent Director of CEREGE. She set out her vision for the future of the laboratory, stressing the importance of this direction being in line with the continuity of its thirty years of existence. In the wake of, Édouard Bard offered a historical retrospective retracing the genesis of CEREGE, from its origins to its installation within the walls of a former sanatorium. Together, these presentations provided a framework that was both memorial and forward-looking, recalling the identity forged over the decades while opening up future horizons.
The scientific sessions then provided an opportunity to revisit some of the major issues in contemporary geoscience: our understanding of the Critical Zoneon calibration of climate models based on paleoclimatic data, the role of the soil in adapting to climate changeor the study of ancient sediments and theSedimentary DNA. Key speakers on the first day included Jérôme Gaillardet, Myriam Khodri, Claire Chenu, Mark Wiesner, Stéphane Calmant and Ana Prohaska.
On the second day, the focus shifted to other areas of research, from theocean at landscapesby way of the palaeoanthropology and even thespace exploration. Laurent Bopp, Rosalind Rickaby, Allistair Seddon, Bruno Maureille, Carole Petit, Joerg Schaefer, Mioara Mandea and Sanjeev Gupta shared their perspectives on marine biogeochemistry, landscape evolution, interactions between climate and glaciers, the dynamics of the Earth's magnetic field and the Martian adventure.
Each session provided an opportunity for a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, rigorous scientific study in depth; on the other, an interdisciplinary approach that gave substance to the idea that research cannot be considered in isolation. The major environmental challenges call for cross-fertilisation and collective approaches, and this symposium was a powerful example of this.
Were you unable to attend the symposium, or would you like to relive the highlights?
The good news is that all the sessions have been filmed and will be posted on YouTube in September.
The official commemoration: dialogue, commitment and prospects
On 29 August, institutional partners, sponsors, elected representatives and local players officially celebrated the laboratory's 30th anniversary. The morning began with official speeches from Lucilla Benedetti and Daniel NahonArnaud Mercier (Métropole Aix-Marseille) and representatives of the five supervisory bodies. Daniel Nahon left a lasting impression when he said: "Think like a scientist and act like a citizen".This is a reminder that research is part of a collective and societal responsibility.
The round table "Paroles de science(s): what research is needed to tackle crises and think about the future?hosted by Maud Devès and featuring Nathalie Blanc and Claudie Haigneré, Alexis Licht and Nicolas Rocheextended this reflection. It examined the role of science in a world beset by multiple crises. More broadly, the discussions highlighted the fact that the ecological transition is not experienced in the same way by all social groups, and that scientific action must take account of this diversity of realities and capacities for commitment.
Closing the show, the mural "Space & Time by Hitnes was unveiled at the cocktail reception. A monumental 124 m² in size, this now permanent work symbolises the spatial and temporal scales on which CEREGE's research focuses.
Exhibitions and scientific commitments
Throughout the celebrations, two exhibitions were held to enhance visitors' discovery of CEREGE.
- The first, a chronological frieze designed under the direction of Bruno Hamelin, traces 30 years of research and innovation and will now be permanently on display in the laboratory.
- The second showcased the work of doctoral students, who presented their work in the form of posters using film codes to blend humour and science.
These measures illustrate the central place given to promoting research, passing on knowledge and highlighting young scientists - the real driving forces and future of CEREGE.
Into the future: science and society
Since 1995, CEREGE has been developing a cutting-edge research on major environmental issues: climate, water, resources, pollution, natural hazards and critical materials. Attached to Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE and Collège de France, the laboratory now has over 200 members and enjoys a national and international reputation.
These 30 years were an opportunity to celebrate a milestone, but also to remember that research is a commitment: preparing the future with and for society, responding to environmental crises, fuelling debate and training the scientists of tomorrow.
