Professor Alexander Kuleshov, president of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), has been made an officer of France’s Ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit).
Kuleshov was presented with the order of merit at Skoltech on Wednesday evening by Marie-Hélène Bérard, president of a French investment bank and a former advisor to Jacques Chirac during his presidency.
“I am delighted to receive this order,” said Kuleshov, welcoming Bérard back to Skoltech and noting that she had first visited the private research university early last year as part of a delegation accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron back when he was the country’s Minister for Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs.
The National Order of Merit is awarded to both French citizens and foreign nationals for distinguished military or civil achievements. The order, whose grand master is the French president, was established in 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. It is France’s fourth highest award, following the Legion of Honour, the Order of Liberation and the Military Medal.
French members of the National Order of Merit have included the oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and the actors Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert, while foreign recipients of the order include King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
