In 1974, he obtained the agrégation in physics and completed his MSc studies with Claude Cohen-Tannoudji as supervisor.
He became CNRS Director of Research from 1986 to 1998, and part time Associate Professor at the École polytechnique.
In 2009, he was a visiting researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, then invited professor at the East China Normal University, Shanghai.
He was president of the French Optical Society from 2009 to 2011, and senior member of the Institut universitaire de France from 2007 to 2017.
From 2007 to 2010 he was chair of jury of "agrégation de physique", recruiting high level physics teachers, then in 2010-2012 member of the committee of reform of physics curricula in high schools, and from 2013 to 2015, commissioned by the minister of education to coordinate the steering committee in charge of the reform of teachers training (École supérieure du professorat et de l'éducation).