# Nicolas P. Rougier

> researcher in computational and cognitive neuroscience supporting free software and open science

**Wikidata**: [Q56876105](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56876105)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/nicolas-p-rougier

## Summary
Nicolas P. Rougier is a French researcher and programmer specializing in computational and cognitive neuroscience. He is a prominent advocate for the free software and open science movements, currently serving as a researcher at the INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest research centre and the Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute.

## Biography
- Born: 1972
- Nationality: France
- Education: École supérieure d'informatique et applications de Lorraine (1993–1996); Henri Poincaré University (1997–2000)
- Known for: Research in computational neuroscience and contributions to the free software movement.
- Employer(s): INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest research centre; Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute.
- Field(s): Computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, software engineering.

## Contributions
Nicolas P. Rougier has made significant contributions to the fields of neuroscience and open-source software development. As a researcher, his work focuses on computational and cognitive neuroscience, specifically studying brain function through the information processing properties of nervous system structures. He has been a researcher at the INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest research centre since September 2013 and is also affiliated with the Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute.

In the software domain, Rougier is a dedicated programmer and software engineer who supports the free software movement. He is the creator of **mu4e-dashboard**, a dashboard interface for the mu4e (mu for Emacs) email client. He also serves as the maintainer for **GNUbiff**, a mail notification program. His work often bridges the gap between scientific research and software tools, promoting the principles of open science. He maintains an active presence in the developer community via GitHub and Mastodon, where he shares resources related to his research and programming projects.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Nicolas P. Rougier's primary area of scientific research?
A: He specializes in computational and cognitive neuroscience, focusing on how the structures of the nervous system process information to facilitate brain function.

### Q: What open-source software projects is he associated with?
A: He is the creator of mu4e-dashboard for Emacs and serves as the maintainer for the mail notification tool GNUbiff.

### Q: Which institutions has he been affiliated with?
A: He has held positions at the INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest research centre and the Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute, and he was educated at Henri Poincaré University and the École supérieure d'informatique et applications de Lorraine.

## Why They Matter
Nicolas P. Rougier is a significant figure in the intersection of neuroscience and reproducible research. By combining his expertise in cognitive neuroscience with a commitment to the free software and open science movements, he advocates for a transparent and accessible approach to scientific discovery. His work at INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest contributes to the fundamental understanding of biological information processing, while his development of open-source tools like mu4e-dashboard provides practical utility to the broader programming community. His dual role as a scientist and software engineer helps advance the standard for how computational research is conducted and shared globally.

## Notable For
*   Researcher at the INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest research centre since 2013.
*   Creator and developer of the mu4e-dashboard software.
*   Maintainer of the GNUbiff mail notification utility.
*   Active proponent of the open science and free software movements.

## Body
### Academic Background
Nicolas P. Rougier's academic career began with studies at the École supérieure d'informatique et applications de Lorraine from 1993 to 1996. He subsequently attended Henri Poincaré University from 1997 to 2000 for his doctoral studies, where he was advised by Frédéric Alexandre.

### Research and Professional Career
Rougier's professional work is centered on the computational modeling of the brain. His primary affiliations include:
*   **INRIA Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest research centre:** He has served as a researcher here since September 1, 2013.
*   **Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute:** He is a member of this research body, contributing to the study of cognitive and computational neuroscience.

His research explores the information processing properties of the nervous system, a field that sits at the junction of biology, mathematics, and computer science.

### Software Engineering and Open Science
Beyond his primary research, Rougier is an active programmer and software engineer. He is a visible supporter of the free software movement and open science. His technical contributions include:
*   **mu4e-dashboard:** A tool designed to enhance the mu4e email client within the Emacs environment.
*   **GNUbiff:** A mail notification program for which he acts as the maintainer.

He utilizes platforms such as GitHub (under the username "rougier") to distribute his work and Mastodon to engage with the scientific community. He is proficient in both French and English, allowing his contributions to reach a global audience in both the scientific and software engineering sectors.

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## References

1. SUDOC
2. [Source](https://www.labri.fr/perso/nrougier/resume.html)
3. [ORCID Public Data File 2020](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0_rc1/0000-0002-6972-589X/employment/1337991)
4. [ORCID Public Data File 2020](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0_rc1/0000-0002-6972-589X/employment/8752049)
5. Mathematics Genealogy Project
6. IdRef
7. [ORCID Public Data File 2020](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0_rc1/0000-0002-6972-589X/researcher-urls/605176)