Tribute to France Meslé – IUSSP Laureate Ceremony 2025

 INED, Aubervilliers/Paris, France & online, 7 October 2025

 

The Union honored France Meslé (Emeritus Researcher at the French National Institute for Demographic Studies - INED) with the 35th Laureate at a hybrid ceremony that took place on 7 October at INED in Aubervilliers, France. The ceremony gathered colleagues, students, family members, collaborators, and IUSSP leaders from around the world, in person and online, reflecting the breadth of France’s influence on demography, her outstanding contributions to the advancement of population sciences and her distinguished service to the community of population scientists and IUSSP.

 

Tributes were delivered by: Magali Barbieri, Vladimir Shkolnikov, Giancarlo Camarda, Jenny Garcia, María Eugenia Cosío-Zavala, Géraldine Duthé, Pavel Grigoriev, Mary Ellen Zuppan, and Shireen Jejeebhoy, with many INED colleagues and international collaborators also in attendance.

 

The speakers painted a moving portrait of France Meslé:

 

  • Scientific Leadership: France was praised as a pioneering figure in mortality and cause-of-death analysis, whose methodological innovations and international collaborations—particularly in Eastern Europe and the Human Mortality Database—have profoundly shaped the field.
     
  • Builder of Networks: Her work has created lasting scientific communities across continents, uniting researchers around rigorous data work and comparative analysis.
     
  • Exceptional Mentor: Colleagues and former students emphasized her rare balance of high expectations, intellectual clarity, encouragement, and genuine concern for students and colleagues—qualities that helped launch and sustain many careers.
     
  • Service to the IUSSP: Her tenure as Secretary General and Treasurer was highlighted for strengthening the Union’s activities, partnerships, and visibility, including the creation of N-IUSSP and enhanced collaboration with the United Nations.
     
  • Warmth and Humility: Beyond her scholarly contributions, France was consistently described as modest, generous, open-minded, and deeply human—a colleague who builds community as she advances science demonstrating that empathy and scientific rigor are not incompatible.
     

France’s Reflections

 

In her closing remarks, France expressed gratitude and surprise at the honor, recalling key moments of her long association with the IUSSP and recognizing the colleagues, mentors, and loved ones who shaped her path. She underscored her belief that scientific progress is fundamentally collective, thanking INED and her many collaborators for the privilege of continuing to work and share ideas even in retirement.

 

  • For more information on France Meslé’s career and contributions to the population field read the letter of nomination.
     
  • For additional information on the IUSSP Laureate Awards and how to nominate deserving colleagues: IUSSP Laureate Award

Watch a video of the ceremony below:

 

 

Selection of photos