Jean Biarez: His Life and Work - Multiscale Geomechanics: From Soil to Engineering Projects - page 1

Chapter 1
Jean Biarez: His Life and Work
Jean Biarez dedicated his work and life to the scientific advancement of soil
mechanics. This introductory profile recalls his career within the context of the
pioneering days in Grenoble to the years when he directed a thriving research
laboratory at the Ecole Centrale de Paris .
Inevitably, many of the names cited in the following pages will not be familiar to
readers outside of France, but evoking these names will hopefully give a better
appreciation of the collective dimension that helped soil mechanics become an
indispensable branch of civil engineering.
To characterize the highly complex personality of Jean Biarez and encompass his
many extraordinary − though unsung − intellectual achievements would be nearly
impossible if we did not single out certain aspects. We therefore highlight two traits
that, as colleagues and students, we were able to witness: Jean Biarez's tireless
actions in fostering the ties between research and industry and his creative teaching
methods inspiring generations of students.
1.1. Early years and arrival in Grenoble
Jean Biarez was born on September 8, 1927, in the northern French city of Lille
into a family of building contractors.
After his secondary education, he came to the capital to attend a two-year
preparatory school ( Versailles-Sainte-Geneviève ) in order to pass the competitive