Georgette Délibrias

Délibrias was born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris on 15 August 1924. She studied for her degree in 1946 at the Ecole polytechnique féminine [fr] (EPF) de Paris.^[2]

She made her career at Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) where she worked on neutron detectors that were constructed using boron trifluoride. She moved on from looking at alpha aerosols with Jacques Labeyrie [fr] to gain an early interest in the ability of using carbon 14 to achieve the dating of ancient objects. They achieved the first published example of radiocarbon dating at the CEA.^[2]

She led a laboratory dedicated to the emerging technology of radiocarbon dating which would in time deal with 8,000 different samples. She published evidence of people living in America 32,000 years ago when it was believed that the oldest date was 13,000 years.^[2] She helped set up similar facilities in Brazil, Senegal, Egypt and Algeria. She is credited with making the technique ubiquitous.^[3]

Délibrias died in Fontenay-lès-Briis on 29 April 2015.^[4][2]

In 2026, Délibrias was announced as one of 72 historical women in STEM whose names have been proposed to be added to the 72 men already celebrated on the Eiffel Tower. The plan was announced by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo following the recommendations of a committee led by Isabelle Vauglin of Femmes et Sciences [fr] and Jean-François Martins, representing the operating company which runs the Eiffel Tower.^[5][6][7][8]