On Friday April 16, the Institut Pasteur Board of Governors appointed Professor Stewart Cole President for a further two-year term from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.
This decision is based on the President's commitment to the development and implementation of the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, which includes the key priority of tackling infectious diseases, and on his ability to carry out the reforms needed in view of the changing research landscape in France.
Several goals have been set for Professor Cole's new term including the completion of several ambitious initiatives such as the partnership between the Institut Pasteur and the Université de Paris, efforts to strengthen the institute's ability to innovate, and modernization of Institut Pasteur International Network governance. As President, he will also be tasked with developing new scientific initiatives and promoting the development of research applications in the fields of diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments.
His unstinting commitment to Institut Pasteur staff over the past four years and in this new term will enable the Institut Pasteur and all its research teams to look to the future, while also ensuring the continuity required to effectively navigate the route out of the current health crisis.
Pr Stewart Cole
I am honored and gratified by the faith the Board of Governors has shown, reflecting recognition of our joint commitment. We can be proud of the Institut Pasteur's achievements, particularly in terms of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. We intend to use these two further years to continue strengthening the link between basic research and innovation to benefit human health
Biography
Stewart Cole, the Institut Pasteur's President since 2018, is a world-renowned scientist and professor of microbial pathogenesis.
Between 2007 and 2017, he was Professor and Director of the Global Health Institute at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) – a world-leading education and research center.
For 24 years Professor Cole worked as a scientist and also held various research management positions at the Institut Pasteur, including Scientific Director. He was also acting President of the Institut Pasteur in Paris in 2005.
Stewart Cole has been the recipient of many national and international prizes and distinctions. In 2009, he was awarded the World Health Organization’s prestigious Stop-TB Partnership Kochon Prize for his leadership and groundbreaking accomplishments in genetic research on M. tuberculosis and his contribution to novel therapeutic strategies for tackling TB. He is the joint scientific leader of the European Regimen Accelerator for Tuberculosis (ERA4TB), a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development of new tuberculous treatments with a budget of over €200 million (link).
During his career, he has been involved in the work of several foundations and scientific committees including the World Health Organization, the Wellcome Trust and the European Commission, and was notably Chair of the board of the Innovative Medicines for Tuberculosis Foundation and President of the Commission Médicale for the Fondation Raoul Follereau.
Stewart Cole has also published more than 350 scientific papers on infectious diseases, most notably tuberculosis and leprosy.