 He did his preparatory classes in Grenoble (Maths Sup) then at Louis-Le Grand (Maths Spé), to join the École Normale Supérieure (1973) to become an agrégé de Mathématiques in 1975, and Doctor in 1982.From 1983 to 1988 he was Professor at the University of Montpellier.Then CNRS Research Director, Mechanics and Acoustics Laboratory in Marseille, where he was Director from 1993 to 1999.