He gained his master's degree in 1996 in comparative literature at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris.
[1][2] He worked in the faculty of humanities in the University of Paris 13-Paris Nord from 2004, completing his postdoctoral research Habilitation in 2011.
[3] Thomas Barège, reviewing Dictionnaire Tolkien in Acta Fabula, calls it a fine tool, both synthetic and complete, providing thorough guidance for the reader.
He notes that The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia is in places more detailed, and is less concerned with a fan audience; the two works are in his view largely complementary.
[4] Thomas Fornet-Ponse, reviewing Tolkien: Sur les rivages de la terre du milieu for Hither Shore, writes that Ferré offers a readable and informative introduction to The Lord of the Rings, with material of interest also to experts.