Ranked the Commander of the Legion of Honour, he is one of the 3,000 people who currently hold this honour in France.

Prof Kourilsky, an expert in molecular biology, spent most of his career as a member of CNRS (Central National de la Recherche Scientifique) before being elected in 1998 to the College de France, where he currently holds the Chair in Molecular Immunology.

He has also participated in the administration of numerous French research institutions and biotech companies and has been an advisor for biotechnologies in the French Ministry of Research.

From 2000 to 2005, he served as Director-General of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and chaired the international network of Pasteur Institutes. Prof Kourilsky is also a member of the Academy of Sciences and the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) . He became Chairman of SIgN in January 2006.

Chairman of A*STAR, Mr Lim Chuan Poh said the honour 'befits Philippe as a scientist who is passionate and persevering in his research focused on enhancing human healthcare'.

He added that Prof Kourilsky has an 'extraordinary ability to build and enhance international scientific networks'.

Prof Kourilsky said he hopes to leverage on SIgN's 'rapid and significant progress so far, and further develop immunology research in Singapore to ensure its translation towards the clinic and towards solving major health problems of the 21st century'.