Jean-François Minster obtained his engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique (France) in 1973 and his Ph.D. in geochemistry from the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris (IPGP) in 1979. In 1981 he was Post Doctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In October 2006, he joined the international oil group Total, where he serves as Scientific Director and Board member. He works to rethink the research and development (RD) in the Total Group, and various relationships with universities. Since 1976, he received around ten national and international scientific awards. He was also named Chevalier of the Order of Merit in 1995 and Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2003. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences since 1988, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences since 1997, founding member of the Academy of Technology in 2000 and a member of the International Academy of Aeronautics since 2004. For his entire career, the University of Montreal, on the recommendation of the Ecole Polytechnique, awarded him an honorary doctorate at the graduation of the third cycle doctorate May 28, 2010.