Claudie Haigneré worked as a rheumatologist in the rehabilitation department at the Cochin Hospital in Paris, then in the Neurosensory Physiology Laboratory at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), where she carried out research on the adaptation of sensory-motor systems in microgravity.
Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1985, she was in charge of the physiology and space medicine programmes at the “Centre national d’études spatiales” (CNES) from 1990. In August 1996, Claudie Haigneré flew for 16 days on board the Russian orbital station “Mir” as part of the Franco-Russian Cassiopeia mission, carrying out numerous medical and physiological, technical and biological experiments. Then, in January 2001, as an ESA astronaut, she became the first French woman to fly aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As First Flight Engineer, she carried out an experimental programme in the fields of Earth observation, ionospheric studies, life sciences and the science of matter.
Claudie Haigneré began her political career as Deputy Minister for Research and New Technologies, then as Deputy Minister for European Affairs, before being chosen in March 2009 to oversee the merger of two emblematic centres for the dissemination of scientific and technical culture. For five years, Claudie Haigneré was President of “Universcience”, the merger of the “Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie» and the «Palais de la Découverte”. In this capacity, she initiated a collective work, “Plaidoyer”, which encourages a taste for science as a fully-fledged component of culture. It is also a tribute to the quest for knowledge, a human passion which is the driving force of research. Now an ambassador for the European Space Agency, Claudie Haigneré is particularly committed to encouraging young girls from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and rural areas to pursue their dreams.
The first female European astronaut, Claudie Haigneré has received the highest distinctions from several countries. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from institutions such as the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
