Biography

An author and speaker, Jack Guichard is a graduate of the École normale supérieure, a biologist and a specialist in science education and communication.

He was Director-General of the Palais de la découverte in Paris, the legendary science centre where so many scientific careers began, and the scientific and educational lead for the creation of the Cité des enfants, which transformed the way science is presented to children.

Museums and exhibitions

After joining the team that created the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris in 1980, he spent fifteen years as scientific lead for the design of exhibitions for young people — above all the Cité des enfants.

From 2003 to 2009, as Director-General of the Palais de la découverte, he led many temporary exhibitions, in science and in the arts, and drew up a renovation project for the institution, together with exhibitions previewing it.

As an expert, he has sat on the steering committees of many exhibitions and museums, such as Le Vaisseau in Strasbourg and the children’s gallery of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. In the Vendée, he is involved in the “La ruche géante” (giant beehive) exhibition at the Finfarine centre and in the future Musée du Sable in Les Sables-d’Olonne.

Research and teaching

A former neurophysiologist at Paris VI University and INSERM, he became a university professor and researcher at the École normale supérieure de Cachan. He has led many studies on science education and expert assessment, and on museology as an associate researcher at the LDES of the University of Geneva.

A trainer of researchers, museum professionals and teachers, he helped bring new technologies into education: he was deputy director of the IUFM de Paris, the city’s teacher training institute, and director of CERTEM, a centre for teaching and research in multimedia educational technology. In the 2000s, he sat on the French Ministry of Education’s expert group that drew up the school science curriculum.

Throughout his career he has studied the place of science in society, and the inquiry-based approach that leads to scientific discoveries.

Author

He has published more than a hundred books — popular science, science teaching and essays — and 70 editions in other languages: English, Chinese, Russian, German, Spanish and more. In 2021, with Cécile Jugla, he received the Roberval Prize for the best science and technology book for young readers.

For children: the series “La science est dans…” (Nathan, 2020–2024, with Cécile Jugla), published in eight languages, including There’s Science in… in the United States.
For the general public: many books with Larousse, Le Pommier (Belin) and Deux Coqs d’or (Hachette), including the very successful series “50 expériences pour épater vos amis”.
Drawing on his neuroscience research: “Défier votre cerveau” (Larousse, 2017) and “250 jeux pour booster votre cerveau” (Larousse, 2023).
On animal societies, ants and bees above all: “Tout savoir sur l’abeille” (Le Pommier).
For schools: science textbooks and series with Hachette Éducation, several of which he edited, and scientific advice for children’s collections at Larousse and Nathan.

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Talks

He gives many talks and expert appraisals, in France and across Europe, on sharing science: for the general public — science, and now artificial intelligence — at the invitation of museums and local authorities, and on science education for the French education authorities. He sat on the advisory board of the magazine La Recherche and, in 2013, gave evidence to the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST).

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The heritage of the Vendée

Living in Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, he works to share the heritage of the Vendée coast. He sits on the town’s heritage committee, writes for the Cahiers du patrimoine talmondais, gives talks and writes books on the history of the coast.

With his friend Johny Lenormand, he created the video series “Les sentiers du littoral talmondais” on YouTube.
On the TV3Provinces channel he presented a weekly programme on the history of Talmont (2021–2022), then “Les Balades de Jack” (2022–2023), on the heritage of southern Vendée and the people who keep it alive, as well as fourteen episodes of “La science est dans le quotidien”.
He founded the association “La cour de Richard Cœur de Lion”, which brings the Middle Ages to life at the Château de Talmont, and is now its honorary president.

Commitments

President of the scientific council and general secretary of Savoir apprendre, the association that created and runs the Exploradôme science centre;
President of LABEL, a coastal research office;
Vice-president of the Groupe associatif Estuaire, where he chairs the scientific council and founded the estuary “sentinels”;
Vice-president of the Musée du Sable, which is developing the interactive exhibition “Planet Sable” in Les Sables-d’Olonne;
Vice-president of the Amis du patrimoine talmondais (since 2020);
Board member of the Association vendéenne de géologie and of the Randonnées talmondaises (since 2021);
Representative of the Groupe associatif Estuaire in the bumblebee observatory.

He was previously vice-president of the French Association for the Advancement of Science (AFAS, until 2015), of which he is still a member; a board member of the MAIF Foundation for research (until 2020); a member of the scientific councils of Territoires de la CSTI (2013–2019) and of the Alsace Region’s science and technology culture programme (until 2014); a member of the jury of the Trophées Diderot de l’initiative culturelle; and a member of the council of the botanical and zoological gardens of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.

Honours

Knight of the French National Order of Merit and Knight of the Palmes académiques.