Michel Imbert

Michel Imbert (born 29 June 1935 in Béziers, France) is a neuropsychologist teacher-researcher in cognitive neurosciences, professor emeritus at Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University (since 2003) and honorary director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). After studies at the Sorbonne, in philosophy (licentiate in 1957) and psychology (licentiate in 1958), and at the Faculty of Sciences in Paris (licentiate in natural sciences, 1961, doctorate in natural sciences, 1967), Michel Imbert was a lecturer (2nd class professor) at the Faculty of Sciences in Toulouse (1967). Returning to Paris in 1972 as Assistant Director at the Collège de France in the Chair of Neurophysiology headed by Professor Yves Laporte, Michel Imbert was appointed Professor of Neurophysiology at the Paris-Sud University at Orsay (1981), then at the University Pierre-et-Marie-Curie (1983). In 1987, he was appointed director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS); he created the Master (DEA) in Cognitive Sciences, which has since become a master's degree (Cogmaster). In 1993, he created the Brain and Cognition Research Centre (CERCO) at the Paul-Sabatier University in Toulouse, a joint University-CNRS-EHESS unit, of which he was director until 2000. Elected senior member at the Institut universitaire de France (IUF), he has been an honorary member of the Perceptive Systems Laboratory (LSP) at the Institut d'Étude de la Cognition at the École normale supérieure since 2003. He is also a member of the Academia Europaea (since 1989) and a corresponding member of the French Academy of sciences (since 1993). Deputy scientific director in the life sciences department of the CNRS (1976-1980). Executive Secretary and Treasurer of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO 1984-1991). Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Biology Department of the École normale supérieure (2001-2005). At the end of the 1950s, Michel Imbert demonstrated, with Pierre Buser, the existence of a convergence of visual, auditory and somesthesic signals at the level of the pre-central cortex in cats.