Bertrand Jacquot, recipient of the 2026 CNRS Crystal Medal

Accelerating heavy ions in a particle accelerator is a tightrope walk between theory and hands-on practice. Bertrand Jacquot, a research engineer at GANIL, has mastered this subtle art for over twenty-five years: calculating the settings of the electromagnets that steer and focus particle beams, designing the instruments that analyze them, and ensuring—nights and weekends included—that the machine delivers exactly what physicists expect. His dual expertise as both a nuclear physicist and an accelerator physicist, a rare and valuable combination, enabled him to design the SAGA project, a strategic reconfiguration of GANIL that increases beam time available to aerospace industry partners fivefold, while fully preserving fundamental research. This project is on track and has sparked enthusiasm among all stakeholders.

His career has been honored with the CNRS Crystal Medal, an award that recognizes women and men—research support staff—whose creativity, technical mastery, and innovative spirit contribute alongside researchers to advancing knowledge and upholding the excellence of French research.