Professor Serge Tcherkézoff, Head of Partnership between ANU and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), has been honoured by the French government for his contribution to developing academic ties between France and Australia.
Professor Tcherkézoff has been awarded an Insignia of Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour.
The citation said the award was for: "His academic and research excellence in Pacific Studies, and for his great contribution to the international recognition and regional integration of the South Pacific".
Professor Tcherkézoff, who established a collaboration between ANU and EHESS - the renowned French School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, said he was greatly honoured to receive the award.
"I take this honour not on a personal level but as the recognition by France of the collaborative work we did here at ANU in the College of Asia and the Pacific, in the School of Culture History and Language," he said.
Professor Tcherkézoff has built valuable alliances between the schools, resulting in the development of research opportunities between ANU and the Francophone Universities in the Pacific.
Ambassador to Australia, Mr Christophe Lecourtier, presented Professor Tcherkezoff with the honour at a ceremony at the French Embassy in Canberra.
The Order, established by Napoleon in 1802, is awarded for excellent civil or military conduct.
