Olivier Hamant is a biologist, researcher at INRAE and the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, author and lecturer.
He has published over a hundred scientific articles on plant biophysics and development. This research topic also raises the question of the robustness of living organisms from a new angle.
Nourished by this fundamental research, and in his role as Director of the Michel Serres Institute, Olivier Hamant contributes to several projects in the fields of art, science and education, focusing on the existential challenges of the Anthropocene. The question of the robustness of living organisms is one of the subjects of his reflections on the lessons to be learned from living organisms in order to inhabit the Earth (La troisième du vivant - Ed. Odile Jacob; Antidote au culte de la performance - Ed. Gallimard).
His latest book "L'Entreprise Robuste - Une alternative à la performance" (2025) was co-written with Olivier Charbonnier and Sandra Enlart :
Drawing inspiration from the living world to build robust businesses is our only chance of survival in the face of the dead-end of ecocidal neoliberalism. As we approach violent socio-ecological and geopolitical fluctuations, the race for performance that governs our economic models is making us fragile. Between collapse and the myth of green growth, a third way is possible: that of robust organizations. The challenge is to integrate the impact of the environment into our activities. Combining the views of a biologist and organizational experts, this book reveals the flaws in the obsolete dogma of profit maximization and certain environmental regulations. Adaptability, circularity, cooperation... the living world shows that another path is possible. Pioneering companies have given their business model a primary objective: respect for the ecological and social territory.
