She is a commander of the Légion d'honneur, "secrétaire perpétuel honoraire" of the Académie des sciences and former president of the CNRS ("National Centre for Scientific Research").

[1] The Times says she has "a formidable reputation for determination, decisiveness and an aptitude for analysing and clarifying complex matters.

"[2] As a president of the CNRS, she was responsible for 25,000 employees, 12,000 of whom are researchers, and a budget of 2.42 billion Euros.

[2] Daughter of the physicist Jean Teillac, Catherine Bréchignac entered the École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses in 1967, she received her DEA (Masters-level qualification) at the Faculté des sciences d'Orsay in 1971, her doctorate in 1977, and became a Research Director in 1985.

She clashed with Claude Allègre, the minister at the time, over reforms she oversaw at the institution.