French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA, which bought Genzyme Corp. in 2011, said Wednesday that its new chief scientific officer is Gary J. Nabel, a medical doctor with ties to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Nabel’s appointment takes effect Dec. 3, and he will be based in Cambridge, Sanofi said. Nabel will report to Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Sanofi’s president for global research and development.