President and CEO of IRD, Valérie Verdier, who holds a doctorate in plant sciences from the University of Paris-Sud, is a biologist renowned for her contribution to issues relating to food safety in particular. Co-author of more than 130 scientific publications, she is internationally recognised for her fundamental contributions to understanding the infection mechanisms of plant pathogens and the approaches and solutions developed to control them. Valérie Verdier has spent many long and short periods abroad during her career. She has conducted research and developed partnerships in Central Africa, West Africa, Latin America and the United States. She is a research associate at Colorado State University (USA).
She has been head of the IRD for over 3 years, where she advocates the co-production of a "science of solutions", where transdisciplinary knowledge and local knowledge, co-constructed with scientific communities and societies in the South, serve to advance knowledge for the sustainable development of populations.
Valérie Verdier was awarded the Marie Curie Fellowship from the European Commission in 2010, the International Service Award from the American Phytopathology Society (APS) in 2014, and an APS Fellow in 2020. She was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 2016 and an Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite in 2021.
