Etienne Jacqué, Chairman of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), announced that the Board of Directors of the institute has unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Olivier Guillon as LIST Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 September 2025.
Professor Guillon has recognized expertise in the field of energy materials, combining scientific excellence with a keen sense of industrial applications. Currently Director of the Institute of Energy Materials and Devices at Forschungszentrum Jülich, he leads high-impact technology projects, particularly in the field of batteries and hydrogen, in collaboration with leading scientific and industrial institutions. His coordinating role within the Helmholtz research program for the energy transition demonstrates his ability to manage complex networks and engage in dialogue with ministerial and international bodies. Thanks to his dual nationality, his solid academic career, and his extensive network, he has all the assets required to lead the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology.
With his arrival, all of LIST’s executive committee positions will be permanently staffed in line with the “Loi du 7 juin 2023 portant modification de la loi du 3 décembre 2014 ayant pour objet l’organisation des centres de recherche publics“.
With the assignment of Dirk Fransaer, currently CEO ad interim, coming to its end at the end of May, Deputy CEO Dr. Jurgen Joossens, will manage LIST daily operation ad interim from 1 June until 31 August 2025.
With the appointment of Professor Guillon as its new CEO, the Board of Directors reaffirms its commitment to LIST's mission of addressing today’s challenges and of building a sustainable legacy for future generations in Luxembourg and beyond.
Olivier Guillon, a French-German national, is currently Director of the Institute of Energy Materials and Devices at Forschungszentrum Jülich (a member of the Helmholtz Association) and Professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of ceramic materials and their synthesis methods.
The Institute of Energy Materials and Devices at Forschungszentrum Jülich, where he acts as Director, currently employs 135 collaborators from 20 countries and connects excellent materials science and engineering to real applications such as solid-state batteries and hydrogen technologies. On the higher TRL scale, his institute focuses on medium and long-term industry partnerships, translating research into innovative technology suitable for industrial production.
Olivier Guillon is also the spokesperson for the Helmholtz Programme “Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition” and, as such, a member of the Management Board of Helmholtz Energy. In this role he represents more than 1,300 people from five centres, liaising and reporting to ministries and to the Helmholtz international Strategic Advisory Board.
Over the years, Prof. Guillon developed a large professional network, including academia, RTOs, industry, research funding agencies, ministries, embassies and associations in Germany and abroad.
Olivier Guillon holds an Engineering Degree in Materials from Ecole des Mines d’Alès, a PhD in Engineering Sciences from Université de Franche-Comté, France and his habilitation from TU Darmstadt, Germany. He has also worked in the USA, Japan and Taiwan.
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