Estelle Iacona

Estelle Iacona Overview

Estelle Iacona assumed the role of President of Université Paris-Saclay on June 28, 2022.With an engineering degree from Polytech Nantes, Estelle Iacona reached new heights in her educational journey by pursuing a PhD at the École Centrale Paris, now known as CentraleSupélec. Her postdoctoral fellowship in the United States at Johns Hopkins University, funded by the European Space Agency, led to her induction into the university's Society of Scholars. Estelle Iacona's research primarily focuses on gas radiation and coupled heat transfers, contributing significantly to applied physics, heat and mass transfer, radiative properties of gases, and porous media, all while addressing future energy challenges.

Since 2007, Iacona has held a professorship at CentraleSupélec. During her tenure, she assumed various roles, including Deputy Head and Head of the Macroscopic Molecular Energy and Combustion Laboratory (EM2C - UPR CNRS). In 2012, she was appointed Vice President and Head of Research at CentraleSupélec, subsequently becoming the Executive Vice President for Academic and Research Affairs from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, Estelle Iacona served as an advisor to the President of CentraleSupélec for the deployment of the Université Paris-Saclay project.

Her dedication to academia extended further when she joined the presidency team at the Paris-Saclay Community of Universities and Institutions (COMUE) in May 2019. In March 2020, she assumed the role of Vice President for the Governing Board of Université Paris-Saclay.

Estelle Iacona's influence and expertise also expanded into board roles. Estelle Iacona served as a member of the board at the École Centrale Casablanca from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, she assumed an independent non-executive Director position on the Board of Directors for XFAB Silicon Foundries, a company specializing in integrated circuit design and production.

In her current role as President of Université Paris-Saclay, Estelle Iacona leads the university's strategic development and oversees critical initiatives. Her work encompasses piloting new projects, establishing budgets, and providing political direction in collaboration with the Board of Administrators. Her notable contributions include strengthening the visibility of Graduate Schools, fostering interdisciplinary institutes, and advancing projects that address societal challenges.