Didier Gigmes got his education in chemistry at the University Paul Cezanne (Marseille, France). In 1998, he received his PhD in organic chemistry under the guidance of Prof. Paul Tordo (Marseille, France). He completed a first postdoctoral fellowship at Elf-Atochem, North America in Pennsylvania (USA) under the supervision of Dr. Gary Silverman. Then, he came back to France to work as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Prof. Paul Tordo in Marseille. In 2001 he obtained a position of researcher at CNRS to develop nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP). In 2008 he defended his Habilitation at the University of Provence and became a group leader in June 2008. In October 2010, he was appointed Research Director at CNRS. During the past few years he has been working on the development of NMP and particularly the design of a highly efficient SG1-based alkoxyamine. After a significant contribution to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in NMP, one of his main concerns is now to promote NMP in material science for various applications such as biomaterials, environment and energy.
Please follow the link to get more information about Didier’s laboratory and his recent paper in Polymer Chemistry.
What was your inspiration in becoming a scientist?
During my education at the University I met two supervisors who strongly influenced my career choices. I can say that working and discussing with Pr. J.-P. Galy and Pr. P. Tordo made me realize the incredible scope of applications of chemistry and that being a scientist is extremely exciting and not so conventional a job.
What was the motivation behind the research in your recent Polymer Chemistry paper? (DOI: 10.1039/C1PY00057H)
I was investigating the potential of the radical reactivity of highly labile alkoxyamines. We discovered that by using this kind of compounds, we were able to perform particularly clean 1,2-intermolecular radical addition onto activated olefins. Then, we exploited this reactivity as an efficient, simple and versatile synthetic tool to prepare advanced polymer materials. I like when ideas are simple to set up.
Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work?
I was immediately convinced when I heard about the launch of Polymer Chemistry journal. Obviously, the number of papers in science increases year after year, therefore having different high level journals that offer the possibility to publish scientific achievements of the community is mandatory. I really appreciate Polymer Chemistry for the quality of the contributions and also because it is really professional. The review and publication processes are particularly fast and efficient.
At which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?
In 2011, I plan to attend the up-coming polymer conference in Granada at European Polymer Congress in July and the ACS Meeting in Denver end August.
How do you spend your spare time?
My spare time is devoted to sport. Playing tennis with my daughters and cycling alone or with friends. It’s good for the shape and also for the mind.
Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
I think I would have wanted to become a physician. This is probably why I’m very interested in research studies dealing with the synthesis and the use of polymer materials designed for biomedical applications.
