INRS will award honorary doctorates to a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and a prominent Montréal philanthropist and entrepreneur  

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Lorne Trottier will be awarded honorary doctorates by the research institute.  

At its annual graduation ceremony, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) will award two honorary doctorates to recognize the exceptional contribution to science and society of Emmanuelle Charpentier and Lorne Trottier.  

Microbiologist, geneticist, biochemist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and genome expert Emmanuelle Charpentier and scientist, businessman, and philanthropist Lorne Trottier will receive this prestigious distinction from Alexandre Cloutier, President of the Université du Quebec, and Luc-Alain Giraldeau, CEO of INRS, at a ceremony in Québec City. Donna Strickland, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and recipient of an honorary doctorate from INRS in 2019, will also be on hand to honour Emmanuelle Charpentier.  

“This year, INRS is recognizing the exceptional careers of two pillars of success who have gone above and beyond,” says Mr. Giraldeau. “These individuals deeply believe in science and its teaching, and have an unwavering desire to push its boundaries and share it widely. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Lorne Trottier have inspired a whole generation, and we are proud to award them an honorary doctorate for their lifetime achievement.” 

Luc-Alain Giraldeau, CEO of INRS

Emmanuelle Charpentier: The quest for knowledge and understanding of biological mechanisms  

Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier has an impressive track record in several laboratories and universities in the United States, Austria, Sweden, and Germany. Today, she is an honorary professor at the Institute of Biology at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, and scientific director and head of administration of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, which she herself founded in 2017, also in Berlin.  

The groundbreaking discovery of a new defense mechanism in bacteria—CRISPR-Cas9—in her laboratory in 2011 and 2012, and its subsequent development as a gene editing technology, propelled Emmanuelle Charpentier and her collaborator Jennifer Doudna into the spotlight of the scientific community. The CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors is the most precise instrument ever designed to modify DNA. This DNA engineering tool that is revolutionizing biology earned Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, the first time it was awarded to a female duo.  

INRS has invited Donna Strickland, a Canadian physicist, laser pioneer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, and herself the recipient of an honorary doctorate from INRS, to bestow Emmanuelle Charpentier’s honorary degree. The two women scientists have more in common than their Nobel Prize: they have both been at the forefront of beneficial innovations in health, agriculture, and the environment, and have immense potential for fundamental research.  

Lorne Trottier: The advancement of science, technology, and education for the benefit of society  

Recognized as a builder of information and communications technology in Québec, Lorne Trottier co-founded Matrox in 1976. This company still designs computer video and graphics applications today, with more than 500 employees worldwide.  

In addition to his business success, Lorne Trottier has contributed the development of our society through philanthropy, creating the Trottier Family Foundation with his wife, Louise. For 25 years, the Trottier Foundation has made significant and transformative donations to science, education, health, and the environment—key areas for INRS. In Québec, the rest of Canada, and around the world, the Trottier Foundation supports research and education, opening the doors of science to a new generation.  

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of his company, and in recognition of his remarkable career and his passion as a visionary in science, INRS is proud to award Lorne Trottier an honorary doctorate.