List of alumni of Aix-Marseille University

This is a list of notable graduates as well as non-graduate former students of Aix-Marseille University in France. It also includes those who may be considered alumni by extension, having studied at institutions that previously were part, or later became part of the university.

The list has been divided into categories indicating the field of activity in which alumni have become well known. Many of AMU’s alumni have distinguished themselves in more than one field, however these appear only in the category which they are most often associated. This page does not include individuals whose only connection with AMU consists in the award of an honorary degree.

Nobel laureates

René Cassin, winner of the 1968 Nobel Peace Prize

Heads of state and government

Édouard Balladur, Prime Minister of France from 1993 to 1995
Adolphe Thiers, President of France from 1871 to 1873
State/GovernmentLeaderOffice
 AlgeriaSmail HamdaniPrime Minister: 1998–1999
 AngolaFernando José de França Dias Van-DúnemPrime Minister: 1991–1992; 1996–1999
 BulgariaDimitar GrekovPrime Minister: Jan–Oct 1899
 BulgariaVasil KolarovChairman of the Provisional Government: 1946–1947; Prime Minister: 1949–1950
 BulgariaNikola MushanovPrime Minister: 1931–1934
 CambodiaNorodom RanariddhPrime Minister: 1993–1997
 CameroonSimon Achidi AchuPrime Minister: 1992–1996
 EgyptAhmed Zeiwar PashaPrime Minister: 1924–1926
 FranceÉdouard BalladurMinister of State: 1986–1988; Prime Minister: 1993–1995
 FranceJean-Jacques-Régis de CambacérèsSecond Consul: 1799–1804
 FranceGaston DefferreMinister of State: 1981–1983; 1984–1986
 FranceFélix GouinChairman of the Provisional Government/Prime Minister: Jan–Jun 1946; Minister of State: 1946–1947
 FranceMaurice RouvierPrime Minister: May–Dec 1887; 1905–1906
 FranceAdolphe ThiersPrime Minister: Feb–Sep 1836; Mar–Oct 1840; President: 1871–1873
 LebanonÉmile EddéPrime Minister: 1929–1930; President: 1936–1941; Nov 1943
 LuxembourgPaulette LenertFirst Deputy Prime Minister: 2022–2023
 MaliBoubou CissePrime Minister: 2019–2020
 MaliModibo SidibéPrime Minister: 2007–2011
 MauritiusIvan CollendavellooDeputy Prime Minister: 2016–2020
 MauritiusPravind JugnauthDeputy Prime Minister: 2003–2005; Prime Minister: 2017–present
 SenegalAminata TouréPrime Minister: 2013–2014
 Sri LankaChandrika KumaratungaPresident: 1994–2005
 ZaireLikulia BolongoPrime Minister: Apr–May 1997

Foreign politicians and civil servants

Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 2010 to 2013
Hermann Höcherl, Minister of the Interior of Germany from 1961 to 1965 and Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of Germany from 1965 to 1969
Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019
Nicolas Schmit, current European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights

French politicians and civil servants

Jacques Barrot, French European Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2004 to 2010
Christophe Castaner, Minister of the Interior of France from 2018 to 2020
Élisabeth Guigou, Minister of Justice of France from 1997 to 2000 and Minister of Social Affairs of France from 2000 to 2002
Christine Lagarde, 4th and current President of the European Central Bank (ECB)

Members of the National Assembly of France

Patrick Ollier, President of the National Assembly of France from Mar to Jun 2007
Claude-Emmanuel de Pastoret, President of the National Legislative Assembly of France Oct 1791 and President of the Council of Five Hundred from Aug to Sep 1796
Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, President of the National Constituent Assembly of France from Jan to Feb 1791
Philippe Séguin, President of the National Assembly of France from 1993 to 1997

Members of the Senate of France

Roger Karoutchi, First Vice-President of the Senate of France from 2020 to 2023
Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis, President of the Senate of France from Jun to Jul 1796

Members of the European Parliament

Diplomatic service

Jürgen Chrobog, German Ambassador to the United States from 1995 to 2001
Théodore Roustan, French Ambassador to the United States from 1882 to 1891
Marta Cartabia, President of the Constitutional Court of Italy from 2019 to 2020 and Minister of Justice of Italy from 2021 to 2022
Hubert Charles, President of the Supreme Court of Monaco from 2007 to 2012

Arts, literature, humanities, and entertainment

Entertainment

Fanny Ardant, winner of the 1997 César Award for Best Actress
Bradley Cooper, twelve-time Academy Award nominee
Jean-Louis Trintignant, winner of the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival and the 2013 César Award for Best Actor

Historians

Journalism

David Pujadas, French journalist and television presenter

Literature

Émile Zola, two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature

Music

Cécile McLorin Salvant, three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer

Visual arts

Paul Cézanne, self-portrait painted in circa 1875 and now on display at the Musée d'Orsay

Scientists and academics

Pierre Gassendi, the first observer and author of the first data on the transit of Mercury, after whom the lunar impact crater Gassendi is named
Antoine Marc Gaudin, Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1939 to 1966 and founding member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
Ferdinand Mélin-Soucramanien, current President of the National Institute of Public Service (INSP)
Elisabeth Pate-Cornell, Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University from 2000 to 2011
Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, discoverer of the Orion Nebula, after whom the lunar impact crater Peirescius is named

Business and economics

Guillaume Faury, current CEO of Airbus
Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank from 2011 to 2021

Sports

Jason Lamy-Chappuis, Olympic gold medalist in Nordic combined at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Jean Quiquampoix, Olympic gold medalist in shooting at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Miscellaneous

References