A marine biologist and a specialist of deep-sea ecosystems, Françoise Gaill headed the Environment and Sustainable Development Department of the CNRS (French National Scientific Research Centre), then its Ecology and Environment Institute. As an Emeritus Director of Research and scientific advisor at CNRS, she is the scientific coordinator of the international Ocean and Climate Platform and leadsthe creation of a UN based coalition, an international scientific platform similar to the IPCC (International Panel for Climate Change), but dedicated solely to the ocean : the  International Platform on Ocean Sustainability (IPOS).