During his time in Research, Michel has been involved in the discovery of various important drugs e.g. meloxicam (Mobic®), tiotropium (Spiriva®), dabigatran (Pradaxa®), and linagliptin (Trajenta®), and of compounds currently in late-stage development in various therapeutic areas: Metabolic Diseases (Empaglifozin), Oncology (Afatinib, Nintedanib, Volasertib), Pulmonary Diseases (Tiotropium combinations, Olodaterol, BIBF 1120 in IPF), and Virology (BI 201335, BI 20717).

All these compounds were discovered in-house. In parallel, Michel also concluded several Research collaborations and/ or licensing deals with Biotech companies, on drug discovery programs and on technology platforms. These collaborations have generated development compounds which today significantly contribute to Boehringer Ingelheim development pipeline.

In 2010, Michel took over the responsibility of the newly created Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund with the strategic goal to create options for the future of the corporation to expand into new therapeutic approaches and business, by accessing medical innovation beyond Boehringer Ingelheim´s current R&D focus.

Michel holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (1983), a PhD (1987) and a Professorship (1992) in Physiology and Pharmacology, from the University of Toulouse, France. He has been issued several patents and has published several key scientific publications and book chapters.