Christophe Botella, a research scientist in the Iroko team Inria-UM (LIRMM-IMAG), has been awarded the 2026 Collège de France Prize in the category “Mathematical Sciences for the Planet.”
Statistical methods for biodiversity research
His research in statistical ecology focuses on developing statistical methods and machine learning approaches to better analyse biodiversity observation data.
By leveraging data from citizen science initiatives, his work aims to improve the modelling and mapping of species distributions while accounting for biases in data collection.
These approaches harness data science and artificial intelligence to deepen our understanding of biodiversity and address environmental challenges.
The 2026 Collège de France Prize, dedicated to “Mathematical Sciences for the Planet,” recognises research that demonstrates the role of mathematics in understanding major environmental challenges.
Christophe Botella will present his research at a public lecture at the Collège de France on 26 November 2026 at 6 p.m.
LIRMM congratulates him on this distinction.
Source: 2026 Collège de France Prize.
Contact : Christophe BOTELLA
