Research topics

• Started in 1978: City and town development, regional development and planning, State dynamics
• Started in 1990: New model of development, industrial districts, business networks and cultural industry
• Started in 1992: Globalisation, crisis and adjustment of law
• Started in 1998: New economy and high technology

Field works

• Started in 1983: India
• Started in 2019: South Tunisia and Maroco
• Started in 2022: Greece

News from my scientific teammates

• Octobre 2003 Gautier Bourdeaux, head of the Master in Banking and Finance at the Université Paris Cité and at the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi has been nominated has Vice-President of the University, responsible for lifelong learning and continuing education.

• Septembre 2023 Pepita Ould Ahmed, who is the head of my research center, the UMR CESSMA, Université Paris Cité, has been promoted to the status of Research Director at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)

• Septembre 2023 Damien Calais has been appointed as a Assistant Professor at the Institut Agro Dijon

• Septembre 2023 Yves-Marie Rault has been elected as Maitre de Conférences (Associated Professor) at the Faculty of Geography, Université Panthéon Sorbonne, Paris 1

• Septembre 2023 Petia Koleva, who was MCF HDR at the Department of Economy of our UFR GHES has been elected as Professor at our Université Paris Cité

• Septembre 2023 Pascal Grouiez, who was MCF HDR at the Department of Economy of our UFR GHES has been elected as Professor at our Université Paris Cité

• Octobre 2022 Abdul Shaban, Professor of Geography at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India has published the book Creative Industries in India, Abdul Shaban, Filip Vermeylen, Christian Handke Scientific Editors, Routledge, 380 pages

• Septembre 2022 Mohamed Oudada, Professor of Geography at the Université Ibn Zohr, Agadir, Morocco, has been appointed Vice-Dean of the Faculté des Langues, des Arts et des Sciences Humaines - Ait Melloul

• Septembre 2021 Jean-Marc Roda, Senior scientist at CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), who was CTO of the Center of Excellence on Biomass Valorisation at University Putra Malaysia - CIRAD cooperation platform, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been nominated Regional Director for South East Asia Island Countries (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-Timor Leste) at Cirad with his office in Jakarta, Indonesia

PhD defense under my supervision

• 2021, Damien Calais: “La sécurité alimentaire aux Emirats Arabes Unis. Importations, productions, externalisations” (Food security in the United Arab Emirates. Imports, production, outsourcing), Université Paris Cité

• 2020, Yves-Marie Rault: “Les petites entreprises pharmaceutiques indiennes, agents d’une globalisation alternative” (Networks, resources and strategies of small pharma companies in India), cosupervision with Dr. Isabelle Milbert, Professor of Sociology and Anthropologie at Graduate Institute, Geneva, University of Paris

Organization of Workshops

• January 31 to February 2, 2023, Université Paris Cité, “Workshop on the projects High Tech Entrepreneurs in Attica, Greece, Biomass Industry Development and Entrepreneurship in Small and Medium Towns, South Morocco” (with Professor Gautier Bourdeaux)

• October 24 and 25, 2022, Université Paris Cité, “Reorganization of Global Productive Networks in India” (with Professor Abdoul Shaban)

• July 4 and 5, 2022, Université Paris Cité, “Restructuring business networks and thinking legal evolution and compliance” (with Professor Gautier Bourdeaux)

• November 24, 2021, Université Paris Cité, “Global economic networks and regional embeddedness, Towards a New Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in India?” (with Professor Abdoul Shaban)

Communications in Workshops and Conferences

• June 24, 25 and 26, 2023, Athens, Greece, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Globalisation, crises systemiques et enjeux juridiques”, Final Seminar “Le droit des affaires post-crises”, REBUS Group, Scientific Coordination G. Bourdeaux and G. Lekkas

• January 31, February 1 and 2, 2023, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, “Globalisation and crises. Strenghts and resilience of economic activities”, Round Table, REBUS Group

• December 8, 2022, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, Faculté de droit, “Globalisation et investissements étrangers” (avec Matthieu Bufkens), Seminar “Le droit des affaires post-crises”, REBUS Group, Scientific Coordination G. Bourdeaux,

• July 4 and 5, 2022, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, “New Entrepreneurship in India”, Round Table, “Industrial networks and circulation of economic models”, REBUS Group

• Novembre 24, 2021, Paris, France, Université Paris Cité, “Enterpreneurship in Gems and Jewellary industry in Jaipur”, Round Table, REBUS Group

• August 21 and 22, 2021, Mumbai, India, School of Development Studies - Tata Institute of Social Sciences (virtual conference), “Specialization and diversity: the paradox of global economy and entrepreneurship”. I8th National Conference on Diversity & Development

I began my advanced studies at the University of Toulouse, where I have summited my PhD (D.Lit.) in 1985 under Prof. Bernard Kayser. My thesis dissertation focused on the evolution of suburban areas in France. During these early years of research, I also started my first field works in India, where I was affiliated at the Centre for Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

Then, I was Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, England, following with a post-doctoral work at the South Asian Institute, Heidelberg University, Germany. I joined the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1989, and was affiliated at the Centre for India and South Asia Studies (CEIAS), EHESS, Paris. I continued research programs on urban and regional development, mainly in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. I also worked at all India level with Prof. François Durand-Dastes for the South Asia volume of the Universal Geography, edited by Prof. Roger Brunet in 1993.

In 1995, I was appointed as Professor of Urban Geography at the University Paul Valery, Montpellier. There, I conducted research at the Maison de la Géographie de Montpellier and took part at the creation of the UMR ESPACE. In 2000, I joined the Department of Geography at the University Paris Diderot, on a chair of Development studies. I was affiliated with the SEDET, recently renamed CESSMA. I extended my interest to the emerging countries of Asia and to the Gulf countries, then started a long term collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

From 2010 to 2011, I was seconded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for developing university and scientific cooperation at the French Embassy in India. In November 2011, I was appointed for two years as Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at the Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.

In September 2013, I resumed my duties at the Paris Diderot University and share my time between academic and administrative activity. During this years, Paris Diderot University has entered in a merger process with Paris Descartes University to create the University Paris Cité in January 2020.

From 2013 to 2017, I was Chair of Geography Department in the Faculty of Societies and Humanities at University Paris Cité.

From October 2019 to September 2022, I have been Head of the GHES School (Geography, History, Economy and Societies) at University Paris Cité.

From September 2023, I am Emeritus Professor in the field of Geography and Development Studies at University Paris Cité, attached to CESSMA research center.