Yves Berthelot, vice provost for International Initiatives, Steven A. Denning Chair in Global Engagement, president of Georgia Tech-Lorraine (GTL), and professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, has announced that he will retire June 30, 2021, after 36 years of service to Georgia Tech. 

“Yves has always championed the necessity of global cooperation in solving the great challenges of the 21st century,” said Steven McLaughlin, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “His leadership, diplomatic talent, and vision have been instrumental in the development of Georgia Tech’s international presence. We will miss him, and we wish him the very best in retirement.”

Berthelot took the role of vice provost for International Initiatives in 2012, directing the Institute’s Global Positioning Strategy and significantly growing international activities in education, research, economic development, and alumni outreach in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Prior to taking the role of vice provost for International Initiatives, Berthelot served as the president of GTL in Metz, France, a position he has held since 2005. Berthelot was instrumental in launching the undergraduate program at GTL, which resulted in significant growth in student enrollment. Each year, close to 700 undergraduate and graduate students study at the Lorraine campus. In 2006, GTL launched the Unité Mixte Internationale (UMI) 2958 GT-CNRS, a unique international joint laboratory between Georgia Tech and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). Renamed International Research Laboratories (IRL) by CNRS in 2020, this international partnership fueled significant growth at GTL over the past several years. In 2014, the campus celebrated the launch of the Lafayette Institute, a $30 million facility that facilitates the commercialization of innovations in optoelectronics. Georgia Tech's international initiatives reached another milestone in 2016, when the Institute formalized its presence in China by establishing a campus in the high-tech city of Shenzhen.

Berthelot was also closely involved in the inception and launch of France-Atlanta in 2010, an annual series of high-caliber events focused on innovation and designed to foster transatlantic cooperation and exchange. Over its 11 years of existence, France-Atlanta has grown into a multidisciplinary affair, with 3,000 scholars, artists, and visionaries exchanging ideas and exploring possible areas of cooperation at its events each year. France-Atlanta has led to lasting partnerships with local institutions, including a startup exchange program between the cities of Atlanta and Toulouse, the creation of an International Associated Library, and an education series that has reached nearly 5,000 students by bringing French-speaking professionals into metro Atlanta classrooms.

A native of France, Berthelot first joined the faculty at Georgia Tech in 1985. Early in his career, his passions for music and engineering led him to combine those interests, specializing in acoustics, sound, and ultrasound throughout his academic career. He holds two patents and has received numerous awards for his research in laser ultrasonics.

Berthelot will remain vice provost for International Initiatives while a search commences. Details on the search process and the leadership transition will be announced later this spring.