hiː stˈʌdid æt ðɪ ɪkˈoʊl nˈoːɹmeɪl sˈuːpeɪɹˌɪjʊɹ ɪn pˈæɹɪs ɪnðə lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti z, əbtˈeɪnd hɪz pˌiːˈeɪtʃ.dˈiː. ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti θɹˈiː, ænd ðˈɛn spˈɛnt ðə bˈʌlk ʌv hɪz wˈɜːkɪŋ lˈaɪf æz fˈækəlti æt dʒˈoʊsəf fˈoːɹiɚ jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn ɡɹˈɛnoʊbəl.
He studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris in the late 1960s, obtained his Ph.D. in 1973, and then spent the bulk of his working life as faculty  at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble.