University of Aix-Marseille

University of Aix-Marseille
Name	University of Aix-Marseille
Established	1409 (original); 2012 (merger)
Type	Public research university
President	Éric Berton
Academic staff	4,500
Students	80,000
City	Aix-en-Provence and Marseille
Country	France
Affiliations	European University Association, UNICA, Méditerranée University of Technology

Contents

History
Organization and administration
Academics and research
Campus and facilities
Notable alumni and faculty
See also

University of Aix-Marseille is a major public research university located primarily in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It was formed in 2012 by the merger of three historic universities: the University of Provence Aix-Marseille I, the University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II, and Paul Cézanne University Aix-Marseille III. With roots dating to the original University of Aix founded in 1409 by Louis II of Anjou, it is one of the oldest academic institutions in the French Fifth Republic. The university is a member of the European University Association and is organized into several component schools and research institutes.

History

The university's earliest predecessor, the University of Aix, was established in 1409 under the patronage of Louis II of Anjou, the Count of Provence, and confirmed by a Papal bull from the Antipope Alexander V. It initially taught canon law, civil law, medicine, and theology, mirroring the structure of the University of Paris. Following the French Revolution, the university was suppressed by the National Convention in 1793, alongside other ancient institutions like the University of Toulouse. It was re-established in the 19th century, with faculties of law and letters reopening in Aix-en-Provence. The modern expansion began in the 1960s with the creation of new campuses in Marseille, including the Luminy University Campus and the Saint-Charles University Campus. The three successor universities created in 1970—University of Provence Aix-Marseille I, University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II, and Paul Cézanne University Aix-Marseille III—merged in 2012 to form the current unified institution, a process encouraged by the national LRU Law.

Organization and administration

The university is governed by a president, currently Éric Berton, and a board of directors. It is structured into five main interdisciplinary sectors: Arts, Letters, Languages, and Human Sciences; Law and Political Science; Economics and Management; Health; and Science and Technology. These sectors encompass numerous component schools, including the Faculty of Medicine of Marseille, the Aix-Marseille School of Economics, and the Polytech Marseille engineering school. The university is a founding member of the Méditerranée University of Technology (UTM) alliance and participates in the Initiative of Excellence (IDEX) program, a French government project to create world-class research universities. Its administrative headquarters are located at the Pharo site in Marseille.

Academics and research

The university offers a comprehensive range of programs leading to Licence, Master, and Doctorate degrees. It is particularly renowned for research in fields such as neuroscience, particle physics, economics, and Mediterranean studies. Key research entities include the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory, affiliated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the Institute of Neurophysiopathology. The Aix-Marseille School of Economics, led by Nobel laureate Jean Tirole, is a globally recognized center for economic theory. The university also hosts the French National Institute for Ocean Science (IFREMER) and collaborates extensively with international bodies like CERN and the European Space Agency.

Campus and facilities

The university's activities are spread across a vast network of campuses and sites in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and surrounding towns like Arles, Avignon, Digne-les-Bains, Gap, and La Ciotat. Major sites include the historic Mazarin Quarter in Aix, home to the Faculty of Law and Political Science, and the modern Luminy University Campus in Marseille, which houses science and technology faculties. The Saint-Charles University Campus in central Marseille is a hub for arts and humanities. The university library network, the BU Université, is one of the largest in France, with notable collections at the Alcazar Library in Marseille. Other significant facilities include the Marseille Timone Hospital complex and the Château-Gombert technology park.

Notable alumni and faculty

The university counts numerous distinguished individuals among its community. Notable alumni include Nobel Prize-winning chemist Jean-Marie Lehn, former Prime Minister of France Édouard Balladur, philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and writer Émile Zola. In the sciences, alumni include virologist and Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier and mathematician Cédric Villani. The faculty has been graced by figures such as economist and Nobel laureate Jean Tirole, historian Fernand Braudel, and physicist Georges Charpak. Other prominent graduates are former President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade, filmmaker Claude Berri, and journalist Christiane Amanpour.