Gilles Ulrich obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1996 at the University of Strasbourg. He then joined the University of Kyushu (1996-1997) and the University of Heidelberg (1997–1998) for post-doctoral stays, before being recruited by the CNRS in 1999. He is currently a CNRS research director at the University of Strasbourg. His research is focused on the development of purely organic and boron-based fluorescent compounds for applications ranging from optoelectronics to the marking of biological products.