Christophe Botella Awarded 2026 Collège de France Prize

This LIRMM researcher is recognized for his work in statistical ecology applied to biodiversity.

Generic image of a scientific award medal on a background of mathematical equations and biodiversity data.
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Generic image of a scientific award medal on a background of mathematical equations and biodiversity data.

Researcher Christophe Botella, a member of the Iroko team at LIRMM, has been honored with the 2026 Collège de France Prize in the "Mathematical Sciences for the Planet" category.

His work in statistical ecology focuses on developing statistical and machine learning methods for better analysis of biodiversity observation data. By leveraging data from citizen science initiatives, his research aims to improve the modeling and mapping of species distribution, accounting for biases related to observation collection.
These approaches help mobilize data science and artificial intelligence to deepen knowledge of biodiversity and address environmental challenges. The 2026 Collège de France Prize, dedicated to "Mathematical Sciences for the Planet," thus rewards work illustrating the role of mathematics in understanding major environmental issues.
Christophe Botella will present his research at a public conference at the Collège de France on November 26, 2026, at 6 PM.
LIRMM congratulates the researcher on this distinction.
Based on information from the official source: LIRMM – Laboratoire d'informatique, de robotique et de microélectronique de Montpellier (19/10/2026)