Dr. Serge Plattard
Serge PLATTARD is currently Science and Technology Counsellor to the French Embassy in London. Previously he was the representative of the French space agency (CNES) in Brussels for the French Presidency of the European Union in 2008. He joined this posting after having spent three years in Vienna setting up and running the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) as its first Secretary General/CEO (2004-2007), and being a consultant during the last four months of 2007 for The Director General of the United Nations Office in Vienna.
A nuclear Physicist by education, he earned his Doctorate from the University of Orsay (France) in 1973 and conducted scientific experimental work up to 1981 at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and in the U.S. in low energy nuclear fission, heavy ions reactions and low energy nuclear astrophysics. From 1981 to 1983, he was seconded to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Policy Planning Staff, and then returned to CEA until 1987 at the Directorate for Planning and Programmes in charge of long term planning and the Eureka programme. From 1987 to 1990, Serge Plattard served as Deputy Counsellor for science and cooperation at the French Embassy in New Delhi and in 1990 he was appointed as Assistant Director for scientific and technological cooperation at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and moved the same year as Science and Technology Counsellor at the French Embassy in Tokyo. From 1994 to 1998 he was head of the French Mission for Science and Technology to the United States, as well as Counsellor for Science and Technology at the French Embassy in Washington DC. In 1998, Dr. Plattard became the Director for International Relations of CNES, the French National Space Agency. He carried also duties as Deputy Director for Planning, Strategy, Programs and International Relations (2003-2004).
Serge Plattard served as French delegate to the ESO (European Southern Observatory) Council (1990-1991), and as Vice-Chair on the Committee for International Relations of the European Space Agency (ESA) from 2002 to 2004.
He is a former auditor of the French Institute for Higher Defence Studies (56th national session), IHEDN.
Serge Plattard is also life member of the American Physical Society, founding member of Euroscience, corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics (2006), and full member since 2011. He is author/co-author of more than 30 publications and a book (Nucléaire, merveille ou menace?, Ed. Hatier, 1984).
As assistant professor he has taught nuclear physics from 1976 to 1986 at the postgraduate level at University of Orsay (France), and from 1999 to 2002 technology management and industrial innovation at Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) in Cergy-Pontoise, France. He also lectured at University Paris-Dauphine on economy of research and innovation (1984- 85).
He was awarded in 1994 the Golden Rays in the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japanese distinction) and in 1998 Knight in the Order of the Légion d’Honneur.
As the French writer Charles Péguy wrote, his biggest adventure is to be the father, with his wife Sylvie, of five children: Jean, François, Antoine, Emmanuel and Sophie.
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