Professor Éric Vivier graduated from the National Veterinary School of Maisons-Alfort (ENVA, 1986) and holds a PhD in Immunology from the University of Paris XI. He began his scientific career at Harvard Medical School, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship, before joining the Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML) in 1993. He went on to pursue most of his academic career there and served as its Director from 2008 to 2017.

A pioneer in the field of innate immunity, he is the co-founder of Innate Pharma, where he held major strategic responsibilities for more than two decades. His work has profoundly reshaped the understanding of Natural Killer (NK) lymphocytes and contributed to the discovery and characterization of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs).

Currently a Professor of Immunology at Aix-Marseille University (AMU) and AP-HM, he is the author of more than 300 publications and is among the most cited researchers worldwide. He is also the driving force behind Marseille Immunopôle, an immunology-focused cluster designed to bring together basic research, therapeutic development, and industry to accelerate the emergence of new immunotherapies and improve patient access to them.

Finally, he chairs the Paris-Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC), which he is helping to shape as a major hub for innovation in oncology.