Armand Leclerc Wins the MERAC Award for Best Thesis

Armand Leclerc, a young researcher at CRAL, was awarded the European Astrophysical Society (EAS) MERAC Prize on Thursday, April 2, 2026, for the best thesis in theoretical astrophysics.

Awarded every two years by the MERAC Foundation—Mobilization of European Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology—the MERAC Prize aims to recognize and support young European astronomers through public recognition and financial support. This prestigious award recognizes Armand Leclerc’s work on developing a new topological description of waves and oscillations in stars, offering new perspectives in asteroseismology and helioseismology. Currently a postdoctoral researcher in Austria, Armand Leclerc defended his thesis on October 13, 2025, at the ENS in Lyon, on the topic: “Topology of Waves for Asteroseismology,” under the supervision of Guillaume Laibe.

In honor of the award he has won, Armand Leclerc will give, alongside the five other winners of the 2026 EAS Awards, a plenary lecture at the annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society, to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, from June 29 to July 3, 2026.

More information is available on the ENS Lyon website.