- Awards and Distinctions
The startup Sulys, co-founded by the doctoral student, stands out with an innovative solution to protect freshwater.
From left to right: AquaHacking Challenge Director Anne-Pascale Richardson, Sulys co-founders Marie-Pier Brochu and Louis-Philippe Noel, and Rouyn-Noranda city councillor Réal Beauchamp. Credit: AquaAction
Marie-Pier Brochu, a PhD candidate in water sciences at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), and her team have won the 2025 AquaHacking Challenge with their startup Sulys, which stood out among nine finalist teams. Their high-tech solution aims to protect freshwater—an increasingly threatened vital resource.
« Learning that we had won first place was a moment of great pride. We embarked on this journey out of concern for the health of our bodies of water and a love for scientific innovation. I’m also incredibly proud of the work we accomplished as a team»
Marie-Pier Brochu, PhD candidate at INRS, supervised by Professor Valérie Langlois
Using technology to protect water
Co-founded with Louis-Philippe Noel (Université Laval) and Maxime Miville Deschêne (Lexya), Sulys offers a turnkey service that uses environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to detect the presence of invasive aquatic species.
The team is also developing a visualization platform that predicts outbreaks of these species. This combined approach fosters early, effective, and affordable intervention to preserve water quality and, in turn, the health of ecosystems and communities.
“Marie-Pier perfectly embodies the next generation of researchers INRS can be proud of. Her journey as a young scientist is remarkable, and I’m confident her project will make a meaningful contribution to sustainable water management.”
Valérie Langlois, Professor at INRS
A contest to foster tangible, impactful innovation
These three water enthusiasts, each with complementary expertise, launched their scientific entrepreneurship journey through the AquaHacking Challenge.
Organized by AquaAction, the AquaHacking Challenge supports innovation in freshwater protection. The competition draws inspiration from the Dragon’s Den format and offers intensive mentorship over several months. The first-place prize, which includes a $20,000 grant, will allow Sulys to acquire lab equipment and conduct initial sampling tests in collaboration with watershed management organizations such as COGESAF, SAMBBA, OBV Batiscan-Champlain, and COBAMIL.
A remarkable year for Marie-Pier Brochu
This award adds to a series of honours earned by Marie-Pier Brochu in 2025, including the SWAAC Excellence Award and the Presses de l’Université du Québec Excellence Scholarship. In April, she won the French-language component of the Three Minute Thesis (Ma thèse en 180 secondes) competition and went on to represent INRS at the national finals during the 92nd Acfas Congress in Montréal.
Congratulations, Marie-Pier, on this outstanding achievement!
