Governance of Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University

Structured around the President and his team (eight Vice Presidents and two student Vice Presidents, accompanied by project leaders), and framed by statutory and regulatory texts, the University’s governance is collegial and democratic.

The University’s operations are managed by various bodies, including its Councils, Committees and Commissions, which include teaching staff representatives, administrative staff, students and/or external attendees, as appropriate.

President Jacques Comby






Full professor of geography, Jacques Comby was elected President of the University on 15 May 2012 and re-elected for a second term on 17 May 2016.


Portrait and positions

► Biography and career path
Full professor of geography and a specialist in climatology and risk, Jacques Comby has close ties with the socio-economic world. He has directed several training courses (both career-orientated and research) and participates in local, national and international research networks.

In his role as research assistant, he acted as scientific coordinator for numerous international projects in the United States and in Belgium. He was a scientific expert at the French National Research Agency (ANR) and edited calls for expression of interest for the European Commission. A member of the Executive Committee of the CNRS joint research unit “Environment, City, Society” and a scientific director, he has also co-facilitated research platforms within the Rhône-Alpes region Environment Cluster (2005-2009).

He has been a member of the Management Committee and the Scientific Committee of the Field Observatory in Urban Hydrology (OTHU) since 1998. He has written around one hundred articles, most of them published in international journals (Atmospheric Research, Advances in Geosciences, World Climate Survey, etc.), and several books.

► Roles and appointments
  • President of Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University since 15 May 2012;
  • Vice President of the University of Lyon, with responsibility for international relations;
  • Board member of  the Conference of University Presidents (Conférence des présidents d’université, CPU) since February 2013 (re-elected in December 2014);
  • Board member of Campus France;
  • Board member of the Francophone University Association (l’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, AUF);
  • Board member of the French National Police Academy  (l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Police, ENSP);
  • Member of the Scientific Board of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM);
  • CNRS Director of Pulsalys, the Lyon Saint-Etienne Technology Transfer Acceleration Company (SATT).
From 2010 to 2012, prior to his initial election as head of the University, Jacques Comby was Vice President of the Scientific Board and in charge of research at Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University.
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