Frédérique Vidal


Frédérique Vidal is a Monegasque-born French-based biochemist, academic administrator and politician. She was the president of the University of Nice from 2012 to 2017. She has been the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in the First Philippe Government since 17 May 2017 and subsequently the Second Philippe Government since 21 June 2017, and the Castex Government since 6 July 2020.

Early life

Frédérique Vidal was born in Monaco. She was educated in Monaco and earned a master's degree in biochemistry from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. She earned a Master of Advanced Studies in molecular virology from the Pasteur Institute, and a PhD in biology from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis.

Career

Frédrique Vidal began her career as a biochemist for Virbac.
Vidal joined her alma mater, the University of Nice, as an associate professor in 1995. She became a full professor in 2002, and she served as the chair of the biology department from 2005 to 2008. She was the vice dean of its college of sciences from 2007 to 2009, and its dean from 2009 to 2012. She succeeded Albert Marouani as the university president in 2012. During her first term, Vidal founded Université Côte d'Azur, a consortium consisting of the university, and local business schools and research centres, to increase the international attractiveness of the university. She was re-elected as president in 2016.
Vidal was opposed to the "circulaire Guéant," a failed proposal by Interior Minister Claude Guéant whose aim was to curtail the ability of non-EU foreign students to stay in France after the completion of their studies. She suggested the University of Nice should not discriminate on the basis of national origin or financial resources.
On 17 May 2017, Vidal was appointed Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in the First Philippe Government.
In March 2019, Vidal criticized the Polish Institute of National Remembrance for its role in the disruption of The New Polish School of Holocaust Scholarship conference in EHESS, Paris.