Professor Paula Vilarinho, President of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS), was named Membre d’Honneur (Honorary Member) of the French Society for Metallurgy and Materials (SF2M) during its Rencontres Matériaux et Société 2026, held at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) in Paris on 22–23 October 2026.

Organised under the theme “Matériaux d’un monde connecté” — Materials for a Connected World — the event brought together researchers, industry representatives and other experts to discuss the materials that enable information sensing, storage and processing. The programme also addressed critical resources, sustainability and recycling, alongside the presentation of the SF2M 2026 awards and medals.

On 23 October, Professor Vilarinho delivered the invited lecture “Materials That Sense: The Future of Flexible and Sustainable Sensors”, opening the morning session dedicated to sensing materials. Her presentation explored how materials convert changes in their surroundings into signals, and why flexibility, resource efficiency and consideration of the full life cycle are essential to the development of future sensing technologies.

In accepting the distinction, Professor Vilarinho thanked SF2M, its President Jean-Luc Béchade, First Vice-President Xavier Sauvage, the award committee and those who supported her nomination, with particular gratitude to Anna Fraczkiewicz.

She praised SF2M’s dynamism in bringing together the French materials community and promoting the role of materials science in society and industry. She also emphasised the importance of strong scientific societies and a shared European vision in translating research excellence into industrial innovation and competitiveness.

FEMS warmly congratulates Professor Vilarinho on this distinction and thanks SF2M, one of its Member Societies, for its continued contribution to the European materials community.