On Saturday July 20th, 2024 past and present French government Fellows of Churchill College assembled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the scheme, in the presence of representatives of the College, and the French Embassy in London.

They included members of the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA-Saclay), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), the Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP), the Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (INSAE), the Institut national des sciences appliquées (INSA), the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), and the Universities of Evry,  Paris, Poitiers (yours truly), and Toulouse.

The Fellows were welcomed by the current and former Vice-Masters, Adrian Barbrook and Ken Skiddle, and Professor Dame Athene Donald, Master of the College, seen here addressing the assembled Fellows and guests at dinner.

The current and former Scientific Counsellors at the French Embassy, Minh-Hà Pham (seated to the left of the Master) and Jean Arlat, along with Ludovic Drouin, Attaché Scientifique, were actively involved in the day’s proceedings. Talks on the impact of their stay at Churchill on their research were given by seven former Fellows, all of whom stressed the welcoming and convivial academic environment provided by the college.

A drinks reception was held on the Fellows’ Lawn followed by a Formal Dinner for sixty assembled Fellows – French Government Fellows and their families and guests, and Churchill Fellows who had welcomed them with academic comradeship and personal friendships.