When Rice University began laying the groundwork for its first international campus, much of the work happened far from Houston. In Paris, Estelle Dubernard was helping turn an ambitious vision into a physical presence.
Dubernard, Rice Global’s inaugural director of strategic alliances for the Rice Global Paris Center, will depart at the end of the month after helping establish the university’s hub in the French capital and building partnerships that continue to shape Rice’s international engagement.
Her connection to the university began years earlier. Dubernard first joined Rice in 2016, working with Rice Online for Caroline Levander, now Rice’s vice president for global strategy. Even after returning to France in 2018, she remained closely connected to the university.
When Rice Global launched in 2021 and began establishing its Paris presence, Dubernard returned as a consultant to help identify the properties that would house the university’s European base. She played a key role in locating both the future Paris Center and nearby residences where faculty, students, staff and visiting scholars could stay during their time in the city. She joined Rice again as a full-time staff member in 2022.
“Estelle has been a fearless and tireless champion of the Rice University brand in an entirely new market,” Levander said. “Launching a new international campus requires someone who understands both the institution and the local landscape and she brought that rare combination of experience, cultural fluency and determination. She helped introduce Rice to partners across Paris and across Europe in a way that immediately signaled the seriousness of our commitment to global collaboration.”
Over the past several years, the Paris Center has become an active site for teaching, research and academic exchange, hosting Rice faculty, students and visiting collaborators.
“She was integral to finding the properties that now comprise the Paris Center and building it into what it is today,” Levander said. “But what stands out most is the way she transformed those spaces into a platform for connection by bringing together researchers, students and institutions that might never otherwise have crossed paths.”
That momentum has translated into a growing network of collaborations with leading institutions across France and Europe including Université PSL and the Paris Brain Institute, helping position Rice as an active partner in the region’s academic and research landscape.
“The past five years have been a remarkable adventure, filled with inspiring projects, and it has been a true honor to help establish and develop the Rice Global Paris Center,” Dubernard said.
Born and raised in France, Dubernard earned a Master of Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology and built a career spanning leadership roles in technology and publishing in both the United States and France. She will now turn her attention to Engineers for the Planet, the foundation she leads, which plans to launch its first research prize in 2026.
Rice Global leaders say Dubernard’s work laid a foundation that will shape the Paris center for years to come. While finding someone to fill her role has proven challenging, the university expects to share an update about the position soon.