Edmond Becquerel was one of a family of scientists. His father, Antoine-César, was professor of physics at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, and his son, [Antoine-]Henri Becquerel, also a physicist, discovered the phenomenon of radioactivity (for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1903).

The scientific work of Edmond began in 1838, at the very early age of eighteen. When the Chair of Professor of Physics Applied to Natural History was created for his father at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Edmund had the dilemma of choosing to attend l'Ecole Normale, l'Ecole Polytechnique, or become an assistant to his father for the course that went with the professorship. He chose to assist his father, and their collaboration continued for decades. Thus, his title on the title page of the book published in 1855-1856 with his father is given as: "Professeur au Conservatoire impérial...