Martín Redrado
President of the Central Bank of Argentina (2004–2010); Director of Fundación Capital and of the Master in Central Banking at Asia Business School (Malaysia)
Jules Hoffmann
2011 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine | Discoverer of the Toll Immune Pathway | Professor, University of Strasbourg | Former President, French Academy of Sciences
Jules Hoffmann cracked the molecular code of innate immunity — the billion-year-old defense system all animals share. His Nobel-winning discovery of the Toll pathway in fruit flies transformed immunology, seeding breakthroughs in cancer therapy, vaccines, and sepsis treatment. A charismatic and intellectually generous speaker, he makes the deepest questions in biology feel urgent and accessible to any senior audience.
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Jules Hoffmann biography
Jules A. Hoffmann is a Luxembourgish-French biologist and 2011 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine whose work on the fruit fly Drosophila revealed the molecular architecture of innate immunity — the ancient, universal first line of defense that all living organisms deploy against infection. Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study, Emeritus Research Director at France’s CNRS, and former President of the French Academy of Sciences, Hoffmann occupies a singular position in global science: the man who cracked the immune code in insects and, in doing so, transformed our understanding of immunity across all animal life.
Now part of Aurum’s Nobel Prize speakers, Jules Hoffmann spent decades studying how insects resist infection — a question that struck him as a student when he marveled at grasshoppers’ apparent imperviousness to disease. Working at CNRS in Strasbourg, he founded and directed the Immune Response and Development in Insects unit in 1978, building a research program that would, nearly two decades later, change immunology forever. In 1996, together with collaborator Bruno Lemaitre, Hoffmann demonstrated that the Toll gene — previously known only for its role in embryonic development — was the master switch of antifungal immunity in the fly. Flies with Toll mutations could not fight off infection and died. The Toll pathway, it turned out, was not a quirk of insect biology: it was an evolutionarily conserved system shared across hundreds of millions of years of animal life.
That discovery directly inspired Bruce Beutler’s identification of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in mammals, completing a picture that showed how the same molecular logic governs immune sensing from flies to humans. The downstream implications have been profound — from new therapeutic strategies in sepsis and cancer immunotherapy to the rational design of vaccine adjuvants. Hoffmann’s work also triggered the identification of more than a dozen distinct Toll-like receptors in humans and mice, each recognizing signature molecules of different classes of pathogens.
Recognition Across Science’s Highest Institutions
The breadth of Hoffmann’s recognition reflects the magnitude of his contribution. In addition to the Nobel Prize, he received the CNRS Gold Medal — France’s highest scientific distinction — the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine, and the Canada Gairdner International Award. He served as President of the French Academy of Sciences and has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and the Russian Academy of Sciences. France named him a Commander of the Legion of Honour.
As a speaker, Jules Hoffmann brings a rare gift: the ability to guide audiences — from life sciences executives and policy-makers to curious non-specialists — through the deepest questions in biology with warmth, clarity, and narrative drive. His talks move between the wonder of basic science and its tangible human stakes, from the fruit fly lab to the frontiers of cancer and infectious disease. Known for his charismatic and intellectually generous platform presence, he offers senior audiences both the sweep of evolutionary biology and the strategic implications for healthcare, drug discovery, and pandemic preparedness that follow from understanding how immunity actually works.
Jules Hoffmann Speaking Videos
Jules Hoffmann, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2011: Nobel Lecture
'My Scientific Story: Innate Immunity, from Flies to Humans' Lecture by Jules Hoffmann
Jules Hoffmann Keynote Topics
In this signature keynote, Hoffmann recounts the scientific journey that led from a student's curiosity about why grasshoppers don't get sick to a discovery that rewrote immunology. He explains how the Toll gene in fruit flies revealed a conserved molecular system for sensing infection that operates from insects to humans, and why understanding this system is reshaping how medicine approaches everything from sepsis and autoimmune disease to cancer. Compelling for life sciences, healthcare, and broadly curious leadership audiences.
Biology's greatest secret may be how much the immune systems of a fruit fly and a human have in common. Hoffmann explores the deep evolutionary architecture of innate immunity — how hundreds of millions of years of natural selection produced a molecular toolkit remarkably conserved across species — and what this continuity reveals about new strategies for combating infection, inflammation, and cancer. A powerful talk for audiences in biotech, pharmaceutical R&D, and science policy.
No one set out to revolutionize medicine by studying flies. Hoffmann reflects on the unexpected arc of his career — how following scientific curiosity without a predetermined destination led to a Nobel Prize and a cascade of clinical breakthroughs. Drawing on decades at the frontier of research, he offers leaders a framework for building organizations that make room for exploration, tolerate uncertainty, and convert long-horizon thinking into transformative results. Ideal for innovation-focused executive audiences across all industries.
The discoveries Hoffmann and his contemporaries made about how the immune system detects pathogens are now central to some of the most promising frontiers in medicine — from next-generation vaccine adjuvants and checkpoint immunotherapy to early warning systems for pandemic threats. Hoffmann maps this landscape for senior decision-makers, connecting foundational science to near-term therapeutic and public health opportunities, and exploring what the next decade of immunity research may deliver.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Jules Hoffmann
Why Jules Hoffmann?
Booking Jules Hoffmann for your event means bringing one of the most consequential scientists of the last fifty years to your stage. As the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, former President of the French Academy of Sciences, and the researcher whose discovery of the Toll pathway rewrote the textbook on how living organisms fight infection, Hoffmann delivers both exceptional intellectual authority and genuine on-stage charisma. His story — from a boyhood fascination with insects in post-war Luxembourg to a Nobel Prize — resonates as both a scientific masterclass and a compelling human narrative. He is an outstanding keynote speaker for healthcare and life sciences summits, biotech and pharmaceutical conferences, academic institutions, and leadership forums that want a speaker who makes frontier science feel urgent, relevant, and alive. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check Jules Hoffmann's availability and speaking fees.
What did Jules Hoffmann discover that won him the Nobel Prize?
Jules Hoffmann won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating that the Toll gene in the fruit fly Drosophila is essential for activating innate immunity. In a landmark 1996 paper with collaborator Bruno Lemaitre, his lab showed that flies carrying mutations in the Toll gene could not mount an effective immune defense against fungal or bacterial infection and died as a result. This proved that the Toll pathway acted as a molecular sensor that detects infection and mobilizes the immune system. The discovery that this same pathway was conserved in mammals — where Toll-like receptors perform an equivalent role — opened an entirely new chapter in immunology with direct implications for the treatment of sepsis, cancer, and inflammatory disease.
How did Jules Hoffmann's work on flies change human medicine?
Hoffmann's findings in Drosophila provided the conceptual blueprint that led directly to the identification of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in mammals by Bruce Beutler. Scientists now know that humans possess more than a dozen distinct TLRs, each recognizing molecular signatures of different pathogens — bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. This knowledge has driven advances in vaccine adjuvant design, cancer immunotherapy, sepsis treatment, and the understanding of chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Hoffmann's basic science in a fruit fly model thus generated a translational ripple effect that continues to shape pharmaceutical R&D decades later.
What topics does Nobel Prize speaker Jules Hoffmann cover?
Jules Hoffmann speaks on innate immunity and how the body's first line of defense works, the evolutionary conservation of immune systems across species, the biology of infection and antimicrobial defense, the implications of innate immunity research for cancer immunotherapy, vaccine development, and pandemic preparedness, and the broader lessons of curiosity-driven science for innovation strategy. His keynotes are accessible to both scientific and non-scientific senior audiences and can be calibrated from deep technical content to broad leadership themes. To book Jules Hoffmann or learn more about his speaking topics and fees, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Jules Hoffmann as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Jules Hoffmann as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Jules Hoffmann's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Jules Hoffmann or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Jules Hoffmann speaking fee?
Jules Hoffmann speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Jules Hoffmann to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Jules Hoffmann.
How can I contact Jules Hoffmann?
We only work with Jules Hoffmann on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Jules Hoffmann and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Jules Hoffmann speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Jules Hoffmann for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Jules Hoffmann for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Jules Hoffmann is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Jules Hoffmann for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
