He was seconded to higher education as an assistant at Claude Bernard University in 1968 and became a doctor of natural sciences in 1975, Assistant Professor at UCB from 1975 to 1984, Visiting Professor, Melbourne University in 1981 and 1984, Professor at the École Normale Supérieure de Saint-Cloud from 1985 to 1986 and at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENSL, 1987-), where he created and directed the Cellular Recognition and Plant Improvement Laboratory (UCB-LA 879 associated with Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - INRA, between 1988 and 1992, and EP20 CNRS-LA INRA 879 from 1993 to 1998) then the Plant Reproduction and Development Laboratory (UMR 5667 CNRS, INRA, ENSL and UCB, from 1994 to 2006).