Samuel Bernard is a materials chemist and senior scientist internationally recognized for his pioneering work in polymer-derived ceramics and the design of advanced functional ceramic materials for energy, environmental and industrial applications. His research has significantly contributed to the development of innovative ceramic fibres, porous materials and nanocomposites, bridging fundamental chemistry with technological solutions for sustainable energy systems.

Dr. Samuel Bernard is a Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Deputy Director of the Institute of Research for Ceramics (IRCER) in Limoges, France. He also serves as Director of the research federation MatV2L, which brings together shared scientific infrastructure supporting several research laboratories in the region. Since 2025, he has been a member of the National Committee for Scientific Research of CNRS and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

Born and educated in France, Dr. Bernard received his bachelor's degree in inorganic chemistry from the University of Lille in 1996, followed by a master's degree in materials science from the University of Bordeaux in 1998. He earned a PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University of Lyon in 2002 and subsequently held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart, Germany. He joined CNRS as a tenured research scientist in 2004 and later held research positions at the Laboratory of Multimaterials and Interfaces in Lyon and the European Institute of Membranes in Montpellier before being appointed Research Director in 2016.

Dr. Bernard’s research focuses on polymer-derived ceramics, a field at the intersection of chemistry, materials science and engineering. His work explores the synthesis and processing of preceramic polymers and the design of advanced ceramic materials containing p-block and d-block elements. These materials are developed for applications including energy storage and conversion, hydrogen technologies, carbon-free energy carriers, ceramic matrix composites, porous ceramics and functional nanocomposites. His research has helped advance the understanding of how precursor chemistry and processing conditions influence the structure and properties of ceramic-based materials.

Throughout his career, Dr. Bernard has built extensive international collaborations and held visiting and academic appointments at leading institutions worldwide, including the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan, the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil, Waseda University in Japan and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in India. He has also been awarded prestigious fellowships from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the European Ceramic Society (ECERS).

In addition to his research activities, Dr. Bernard has played an active role in scientific leadership, higher education and scholarly publishing. He serves as Associate Editor for journals of the American Ceramic Society and Frontiers in Materials, has supervised more than 35 doctoral students and 23 postdoctoral researchers, and has led numerous publicly and industrially funded research projects.

Dr. Bernard has authored more than 140 scientific publications, delivered nearly 100 invited lectures worldwide, secured multiple patents and contributed extensively to the dissemination of materials science research through editorial and professional activities. His work continues to shape the development of advanced ceramic materials and their application to emerging challenges in sustainable energy and advanced manufacturing.