Biography – University teaching

My career as a teacher-researcher was mainly spent in two universities: Paris (Université Paris 7 – now Paris-Diderot) until 1981, then Toulouse (Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse III) until 2012. I also gave several courses abroad, in particular in the United States.

In 2002, I was appointed senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France, while remaining a professor of exceptional class in Toulouse. In 2012 I retired from higher education while remaining Professor Emeritus of the Paul Sabatier University, which means that I continue my research work while keeping some responsibilities.

As a specialist in astrophysics, I have taught this discipline at all levels. I have also taught all the specialties of physics in general: electricity, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, nuclear physics, mathematics for physicists, fluid dynamics, statistical physics, quantum mechanics, general relativity, etc. I have taught in all university cycles, in engineering schools, in teacher training cycles and institutes. I also have extensive experience in teaching in high schools, as well as in conferences and courses for the general public.

My course in statistical physics, given for more than 10 years at the University Paul Sabatier, led to a reference book, « Elements of Statistical Physics, Randomness, Organization, Evolution », published by InterEditions, 1993. The particularity of this book is that a large part of the examples and exercises are chosen in the field of astrophysics.

I have been responsible for university teaching in various capacities. In 1991, I created the « Sciences of the Universe » course of the master’s degree in physics at the University Paul Sabatier. I was for 18 years responsible for the Astrophysics part of the DEA of Astrophysics, Planetology, Space Sciences and Techniques of Toulouse. I was then responsible for 4 years of the M2R master-research, mention ASEP (Astrophysics, Space Sciences and Planetology), created in October 2004, jointly with the Ecole Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (Sup Aéro), which became the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE), and affiliated to a European Master « Space Master« , which includes eight European universities from six different countries.

During all these years, in addition to my university teaching in France, I have given courses in other schools, in particular at Sup Aéro (ISAE) and in various settings, in France and abroad.

Examples of course series given abroad

• • 1977: Nuclear Astrophysics (Stony Brook University)
  • 1977: Microscopic diffusion in stars (Stony Brook University)
  • 1977: Microscopic diffusion (Columbia University)
  • 1983: « Atomic Diffusion and Abundance Gradients in StellarAtmospheres », Saas Fee, Switzerland
  • 1993: « La Formation des Elements », winter school of the Association Vaudoise des Chercheurs en Physique
  • 2003: « Structure and Evolution of Stars », Hanoi University (Vietnam)

Some teaching works

• • Nuclear Astrophysics, col. Que sais-je? P.U.F., 1st ed. 1972, 2nd ed. 1980, 3rd ed. 1996, 4th ed. 2003, « 25ème mille » (in collaboration with Jean Audouze)
  • Die Entsehung des Elemente, Einfürung in die Nuklear Astrophysik (in German) col. dva seminar, 1974
  • An Introduction to Nuclear Astrophysics, (in English) col. Geophysics and Astrophysics Monographs, Reidel, 1979 (in collaboration with Jean Audouze)
  • Atomic Diffusion and Abundance Gradients in Stellar Atmospheres (in English) 13th advanced course in Saas Fee, Swiss Society of Astronomy and Astrophysics, A. Maeder and B. Hauck ed, p.167-251, 1983
  • La Formation des Elements 35ème cours de perfectionnement de l’Association Vaudoise des Chercheurs en Physique, B.Hauck, S.Paltani, D. Raboud éd. 1993
  • Elements of Statistical Physics, Randomness, Organization, Evolution, a course for undergraduate and graduate students in physics, students of the grandes écoles and researchers, InterEditions, 1993