Alain Brillet

Alain Brillet (French pronunciation: [alɛ̃ bʁijɛ]; born 30 March 1947) is a French physicist specialized in gravitational wave detectors.

Alain Brillet
Born	30 March 1947 Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Nationality	French
Known for	Virgo interferometer
Awards	Ampère Prize (2016) CNRS Gold Medal (2017)
Scientific career
Fields	Gravitational waves

Biography

Alain Brillet graduated from the ESPCI Paris in 1970, following which he worked for the CNRS in Orsay during his Ph.D. thesis until 1976. He later worked in Boulder with John Hall, before returning to France in 1982. He is most famous for being one of the two fathers of the Virgo interferometer with Adalberto Giazotto, directing the consortium during its design and construction between 1989 and 2003.^[1]

He was awarded the Ampère Prize in 2016^[2] and the CNRS Gold Medal in 2017^[1] for his work on the Virgo detector.