Florence Robine, an Exceptional Journey Dedicated to Awakening Minds

From teaching to diplomacy, Florence Robine's journey (class of 1980, physical sciences) is exceptional, fueled by deep convictions about education and openness to others.

“My entire career has been guided by curiosity and an unquenchable desire to explore unknown worlds,” says Florence Robine. A curiosity that led her to ENS Paris-Saclay after her preparatory classes, where she fulfilled her passion for science, particularly physics, sparked by the revelation that “one could understand the world around oneself and that there were still so many discoveries to be made.” Florence Robine also developed an interest in philosophy and the history of science, finding a stimulating multidisciplinary environment at ENS Paris-Saclay. “The School opened up absolutely incredible perspectives for me,” she recalls enthusiastically. She particularly mentions Alain Aspect, Nobel Prize in Physics 2022, who was her coach for the agrégation: “I still remember him arriving one morning, saying: I have demonstrated that Einstein was wrong!” She gained teaching experience in a high school class during her first year, a "field" experience that confirmed her vocation as a teacher.

A prestigious career in National Education

At 23, Florence Robine passed the agrégation in physical sciences and obtained her first position as a physics and chemistry teacher in preparatory classes. She completed her academic journey by earning a doctorate in epistemology and the history of exact sciences and scientific institutions in 1994. “I have always been extremely frustrated by the absence of epistemology in my teachings. In my opinion, it is crucial to understand where scientific concepts come from, especially if one is to teach them someday. Nothing is natural, everything has been constructed.” She even convinced her former department head to come and give epistemology courses to the school's agrégation candidates.

After teaching for twenty years, Florence Robine climbed the ranks of National Education to become an inspector general, then rector of several academies in Guyana, Rouen, Créteil, and Nancy-Metz in the Grand-Est region of France. In 2004, she became the first woman appointed as inspector general of National Education for physics. Ten years later, she was appointed Director General of School Education, where she particularly focused on combating gender stereotypes in scientific education. Her commitment to education also led her to contribute to a book on families' educational expectations, published in 2013.

A committed diplomat

In 2019, she switched professional environments and turned to diplomacy. Florence Robine began a career as France’s ambassador, first in Bulgaria, then in Norway. She continues to advocate for the importance of critical thinking, notably through interventions with young audiences, online through lectures, or in person at international high schools. “Whenever I am asked, I say yes. I believe that inspiring youth is still part of my mission.” Her objective? To make people think, “to collectively return to reason.” “Led by several foreign powers, disinformation campaigns are actually weapons against democracies. They rely on a foundation of skepticism, misunderstanding, and conspiracy. Fighting against hybrid wars and manipulation is one of the objectives of the European Union member countries,” she points out.

From this perspective, the Ambassador does not hesitate to highlight the role of French major schools such as ENS Paris-Saclay. “In line with their revolutionary origins, they should incorporate into their objectives how to keep reason alive, whose use is currently endangered, and the ability to think in our society,” she asserts. “The ideal of the French Revolution also gives them a tradition of both excellence and individual promotion, essential to republican meritocracy.”

Among the many honorary distinctions* she has received as "encouragements to continue," Florence Robine is particularly proud of the Knight of Arts and Letters, which rewarded her work in promoting the history of arts in education. With a career as intense as it is inspiring, her curiosity and desire to share have remained intact. “I need to convince, to create motivations, to inspire the desire to discover other worlds,” she concludes.

*Distinctions:

• Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor
• Officer of the National Order of Merit
• Knight of Arts and Letters
• Commander of the Academic Palms