Alumni conference with Bertrand Serlet

Launch of Nos belles histoires: the first in a series of alumni conferences with Bertrand Serlet

At the end of 2023, Université Paris-Saclay is delighted to launch a new series of alumni conferences aimed at its student community. Nos belles histoires* will give centre stage to inspiring figures and give them the chance to share the story behind their success. 

The series’ inaugural conference will welcome the renowned software engineer, Bertrand Serlet, who will talk about the lessons he has learnt from his mentors. The conference will take place on Tuesday 12 December at 6.30pm in the Grand amphitheatre of the Institut Pascal, in Orsay.

With a Master’s degree in Mathematics from ENS Paris-Saclay and a PhD in Computer Science from Université Paris-Saclay, Bertrand Serlet began his career as a researcher at Inria (the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology). After emigrating to the United States, he joined Xerox PARC, and later the companies NeXT and Apple, both created by Steve Jobs, where he played a key role in the development of operating systems and software technologies. He also co-founded the start-up, Fungible, and was recently Vice-President for Software Engineering at Microsoft.

An original feature of these conferences is that they have been designed as a dialogue between an exceptional figure from Université Paris-Saclay and a second participant, also from the University, and who works in a field or ecosystem which is similar to that of the main guest. On 12 December, Bertrand Serlet will be interviewed by Michel Safars.

With a university technology degree (DUT) in Physical Measurements from Université Paris-Saclay, Michel Safars is an entrepreneur and a professor in strategy and entrepreneurship at HEC Paris. He is the founder of xCUB, a comprehensive programme which creates and develops innovative SMEs supported by large companies, who wish to develop their activity with sustainable innovations, which the market needs and can be integrated rapidly.  

Come and meet these inspiring figures and find out more about their careers at the launch of this new series of conferences! More conferences are planned for 2024. Come and get inspired!

Practical information:

Conference Nos belles histoires - Bertrand Serlet
Tuesday 12 December 2023 at 6.30pm
Grand amphithéâtre at Institut Pascal
530 rue André Rivière, 91400 ORSAY (Map link)
Approximate duration: 1.5 hrs

Language of the conference: French

The event will be followed by a cocktail reception.

Important: Entrance is free of charge but the number of seats available is limited. For this reason, we kindly ask you to register to the event here. The conference will also be broadcast live on the University’s website.

*Nos belles histoires: Our inspiring stories