Michel Perault started in Bordeaux in the early 80's with a PhD in radio-astronomy at millimetre wavelengths. He dedicated his career to investigating the condensation processes of the interstellar medium, which lead to the formation of stellar and planetary systems. His interests cover instrumentation, observations, and theory.

He is presently the director of the Laboratory for Studies of Matter and Radiation in Astrophysics (LERMA) in Paris. This Laboratory, shared by CNRS, Observatoire de Paris, École Normale Supérieure, Université Pierre et Marie Curie and Université de Cergy-Pontoise had been much involved in the foundation of IRAM, and later on in the design of the Herschel Space Observatory, and of the Atacama Large Millimetre Array. LERMA also participates to the preparation of the SKA project, and actively supports the development of outreach and education activities through the EU/"Hands-on Universe" project.