Robert Barbault, professor at Université Paris VI and director of the Ecology and Biodiversity Management Department at the French national natural history museum, is a specialist in population biology and ecology. He chaired the scientific committee for the "Biological Invasions" research programme. Martine Atramentowicz, research associate at CNRS, set up and led the "Biological Invasions" programme on behalf of the Research Department of the French ministry in charge of ecology from 2000 to 2006.