Michel Loreau is currently director of the CNRS Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station in Moulis, France. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Member of the Academia Europaea, and has won numerous scientific awards. His research goal is to build the theoretical foundations of a new ecological synthesis that integrates the divergent perspectives of community ecology, evolutionary ecology and ecosystem ecology. His main research theme during the past twenty years has been the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and the ecological and societal consequences of biodiversity loss. This new field of research has experienced a dramatic growth to which he has strongly contributed. He has also laid the theoretical foundations of three new research fields that address the spatial, evolutionary and societal dimensions of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: metacommunity and metaecosystem ecology, evolutionary ecosystem ecology, and the dynamics of humannature interactions. Lastly, he has championed an integrative biodiversity science that transcends disciplinary boundaries, and has devoted significant efforts to fostering new research initiatives and linking science and policy in the area of biodiversity and ecosystem services internationally.