Claude Puech was my PhD advisor, and his own PhD advisor was Philippe Flajolet, so I am a proud to count myself as an academic grandchild of Philippe. In 2007, he gave a great invited talk at the SODA conference in New Orleans, with his usual charisma, enthusiasm and clarity, and we had a "French-speaking lunch" in the New Orleans French quarter, together with a small group of other francophone attendees. Our research tastes are somewhat different, but I have always looked up to him with great admiration.
Today I hear some sad news. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Flajolet
:(
ReplyDeleteA description of his achievements (in French) on http://www.inria.fr/institut/inria-en-bref/ceux-qui-ont-fait-l-inria/philippe-flajolet