Geneviève Almouzni

Geneviève Almouzni
Born	1960 Algeria
Occupation(s)	Scientist, Research director
Years active	1988–present
Known for	Epigenetics, cancer research

Geneviève Almouzni (born 1960) is a French scientist specializing in epigenetics and currently leads the research centre at the Curie Institute.

Biography

Originally from Algeria, Almouzni pursued her studies at the École normale supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses between 1980 and 1985. She earned her doctorate in microbiology in 1988 at Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, where her thesis investigated DNA chromatin replication employing a system based on xenope egg extracts, under the mentorship of Marcel Méchali.

Her postdoctoral training took place at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, during two periods: 1988–1989 and 1991–1993, working in Professor Alan Wolffe's laboratory. Since January 2000, she has held the position of research director at the CNRS.

In 2013, Almouzni was appointed director of research at Institut Curie, becoming the third woman to occupy this position after Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie. That same year, she contributed to the Life Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize. From 2018 to 2019, she chaired EU-LIFE, a coalition dedicated to fostering outstanding European scientific research. Additionally, Almouzni serves on the editorial board of the journal Cell.

Scientific work

Almouzni's investigations focus on cancer prevention by examining how particular proteins influence tumor progression. She explores the transmission of genetic and epigenetic information within eukaryotic cells, with an emphasis on chromatin assembly processes and their implications for cancer susceptibility.

Awards and honours

• 2000 CNRS silver medal
• 2011 Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur
• 2013 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award recognizing her work on epigenetics, especially regarding histones and chromatin in gene regulation
• 2013 Inducted into the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• 2013 Membership granted by the French Academy of sciences
• 2016 Elevated to Officier of the Légion d'Honneur