Jeanne Guiot

Jeanne Guiot (24 March 1889 – 11 July 1963) was a French engineer specialising in metallurgy. She worked on the development of special steels for the French navy and carried out research in the areas of energy, thermodynamics and blast furnaces. Guiot was committed to promoting women's access to scientific and civic positions of responsibility. In 1922, she was the first woman to be admitted to the French civil engineers' society, Société des ingénieurs civils de France. Her name was one of 72 women of science proposed for addition to the Eiffel Tower in 2026.

Early life and education Jeanne Marie Guiot was born on 24 March 1889 in Caen, Normandy to Marie Adeline Augustine Hetzlen and Gustave Henri Marie Eulalie Louis Joseph Guiot. Her father was a medical doctor and her paternal grandfather was a lighthouse engineer.

She studied sciences at the University of Caen in Normandy and was researching her PhD thesis before the outbreak of World War I.

Career At the start of World War I, Guiot enlisted as a volunteer nurse, interrupting her doctoral thesis in science, but fell seriously ill herself. During her convalescence, she undertook some work for an engineer, which opened up an opportunity for her.

In 1917, Guiot joined the Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécourt (the French Navy's steelworks) as an engineer. The organisation supplied locomotives for heavy artillery and special steels for the Navy. She worked on cutting-edge research in energy, thermodynamics and blast furnaces.

In 1922, she became the first woman to be admitted to the Société des ingénieurs civils de France (French Society of Civil Engineers) after first applying to join in 1917. Throughout her life, she fought for women's rights, including women's access to meaningful positions in the sciences.

Personal life Jeanne Guiot died in Avignon on 11 July 1963 aged 74.

In their report proposing Guiot's inclusion among the 72 names for the Eiffel Tower, Femmes & Sciences commented: "Elle est une pionnière, à la croisée de l’ingénierie et de l’action sociale" (She was a pioneer at the intersection of engineering and social work).