2023 CNRS Crystal Medal winners from Carnot MICA
The CNRS has announced the 2023 winners of the Crystal Medal 🏅. We congratulate them all, and especially Chantal Lorentz, research engineer at Ircelyon, and Gautier Schrodj, materials characterization engineer at the Institute of Materials Science of Mulhouse, both members of Carnot MICA.
This medal recognizes men and women in research support roles who, through their creativity, technical expertise and sense of innovation, contribute alongside researchers to advancing knowledge and the excellence of French research.
Pushing the boundaries of catalyst characterization techniques
Portrait of Chantal Lorentz – CNRS Crystal Medal 2023
Chantal Lorentz is a research engineer in chemical analysis and head of the Ircatech characterization platform at the Institute of Research on Catalysis and Environment of Lyon (Ircelyon).
She joined the CNRS in 1994 as a technician and is now a research engineer at Ircelyon. She obtained her engineering degree from CNAM in 2011 and has steadily progressed through administrative, technical and scientific roles to become head of the Ircatech platform dedicated to catalytic materials characterization. Co-author of around sixty scientific publications, she has also contributed to major technological developments. She adapted several analytical techniques for catalyst characterization using nuclear magnetic resonance, helping to better understand and optimize chemical processes. She also contributed to the development of an innovative separation technique enabling the study of complex chemical environments composed of hundreds of molecules. As a member of her laboratory’s management committee, she oversees all research support staff.
A pioneer in technical platform management
Portrait of Gautier Schrodj – CNRS Crystal Medal 2023 © Laurent Pieuchot
Gautier Schrodj is a materials characterization engineer and deputy director of the Institute of Materials Science of Mulhouse (IS2M).
He joined the CNRS in 2001 as an assistant engineer and became head of the Mechanical, Thermomechanical and Rheological Analysis platform at IS2M in 2008. He has supported numerous academic and industrial projects. Over twenty years, he has developed a unique high-level technical and scientific expertise in materials characterization. His know-how in dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis is widely recognized at the national level. In 2009, he implemented a quality management approach across the eleven technical platforms of his laboratory—an initiative that was rare at the time in research institutions and has since become widespread, with IS2M often cited as a model. To this day, Gautier Schrodj continues to expertly manage and organize the laboratory’s platforms, maintaining a high level of technical excellence while relying on the expertise of his colleagues.
Congratulations on this distinction, which highlights outstanding careers and expertise.