Suzanne Bella Srodogora Prize

Suzanne Bella Srodogora was the first woman to be awarded the CNRS crystal, and has fought throughout her career to promote the place of women in the world of research and science in general. To honor her memory and commitment, a group of three of Suzanne’s friends decided to create a prize. A prize in keeping with her career path, resolutely oriented towards supporting scientific research.

Leaving high school without a diploma, but with a year’s experience in the American school system
, in 1968 she found her first job in the world of science, which attracted her with its
openness.

Her familiarity with this stimulating environment encouraged her to resume her studies until
obtaining a DEA (post-graduate diploma) at Paris VII, and to begin a career in the service of research, of which she
climbed every rung.

At the Institut de Physique du Globe, she was promoted from secretary to manager. She then moved on to the life sciences, joining the Institut Jacques Monod, where she became General Secretary. She then moved into the human and social sciences, becoming General Secretary of the SHS (Human and Social Sciences) Department of the CNRS. In 1992, she was one of the first recipients of the “Cristal du CNRS” award for her work at the CNRS.

Her knowledge of all the major scientific fields, her involvement and imagination in both management and communications, led her to take up positions of responsibility in the cabinets of two ministers of research and higher education from 1997 onwards, and then in the departments of the Île-de-France Region, where she ended her public career in 2015, the year she was made a Chevalière de la Légion d’Honneur, as Deputy Director General of Services in charge of the Development Unit.

She will continue her active life as Major Projects Advisor at the Institut de la Vision and Innovation Manager at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Health France.

In all these positions, both in the field and at strategic level, her commitment has always been focused on achieving the major objectives that were close to her heart: parity, promoting the work of women in science, links between research and business, and improving working conditions for all staff
.

Discover all the Suzanne Bella Srodogora award winners!