Gérald Guillaumet was born in France in 1946. He studied chemistry at the University of Clermont-Ferrand (France). He joined the group of Prof. P. Caubère and received his Ph. D. in 1972 from the University of Nancy (France) in the field of arynic condensations. Working first as an assistant at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, he was appointed as maître-assistant, then as maître de conferences at the University of Nancy. Nominated to full professor in organic chemistry at the University of Orleans in 1983, he became Director of the Institute of Organic and Analytical Chemistry, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour and President of University of Orleans from 19 November 2004 to 18 November 2009. He is the author of more than 400 scientific publications and 47 patents and has supervised 86 Ph.D. students. His current research interests focus on heterocyclic chemistry (synthesis and methodologies, including C-H functionalization); medicinal chemistry (drug discovery for CNS, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, anticancer chemotherapy, chemical biology); and enantioselective synthesis of natural and non-natural molecules.