INRS students, graduates, staff and faculty members have distinguished themselves between May 1, 2020 and April 31, 2021.
Here are some of the awards, honours, and achievements that highlight what makes our community exceptional.
Awards and honours
Valérie Langlois has been awarded the Relève scientifique 2020 award. This Quebec award recognizes the excellence of her research work in ecotoxicogenomics, endocrine disruption, and chemical and environmental toxicology. It also rewards her ability to establish and maintain constructive and lasting ties with the research community.
Professor José Azaña, an expert in optical fiber telecommunications, and Professor Roberto Morandotti, an expert in nonlinear optics, have been awarded NSERC’s prestigious Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. This award recognizes their outstanding achievements and expertise, as well as their significant contributions to their fields.
Professor Jacob Stolle, a specialist in coastal river hydrodynamics, has been awarded the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal for his doctoral work. This award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in graduate studies, is one of the most prestigious in Canada.
The Royal Society of Canada has welcomed Professors Patrizio Antici, an expert in laser-matter interaction, and Shuhui Sun, an expert in nanomaterials, as Members of the College of New Scholars and creators in art and science. This distinction is one of the highest honours bestowed on researchers in Canada.
Professor Fiorenzo Vetrone, a specialist in nanoparticles doped with rare earths, has received the 2020 Keith Laidler Award from the Canadian Society for Chemistry. The award is given to an early career researcher in recognition of outstanding contributions to physical chemistry and research excellence.
Specialist in environmental toxicology, Isabelle Plante received the 2020 V. E. Henderson Award. Given by the Society of Toxicology of Canada, this award recognizes her significant contribution to the field in Canada.
Professor Roberto Morandotti is among the 2021 cohort of new Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This honour highlights his contributions to the field of integrated nonlinear and quantum optics. It recognizes his outstanding achievements, research advances, and the significant contribution they have made to society.
Professor Federico Rosei, a specialist in nanotechnology, is the recipient of the International Engineering and Technology Institute’s Annual Scientific Award. It recognizes his leadership and sustained service to the international engineering community, particularly his original research on photonic materials and optoelectronic devices. It also recognizes his collaborations and outstanding involvement as a mentor.
The North American-based Urban Affairs Association honoured Professor Claire Poitras with an award for her contributions to urban studies over the years. After more than 20 years with INRS, the specialist in planning, urban history and the built environment has retired in 2021.
Professor Alain Lamarre, an expert in immunology and immune response, has been appointed to the scientific monitoring committee of the Québec COVID – Pandemic Network. The objective of this committee is to present a coherent synthesis of the most up-to-date scientific knowledge on issues specific to COVID-19 and to provide information to public decision-makers and the public.
Professor Mircea Vultur, a specialist in youth, work and employment issues, has been appointed to the multidisciplinary working committee of experts of the Commission de l’éthique en science et en technologie. He will bring to the table his expertise in sociology of work and the results of his research on the effects of the digital economy on working conditions.
Professor Monique Lacroix has joined the Standing Advisory Group on Nuclear Applications. This committee, composed of about twenty internationally recognized experts, is part of an advisory group of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the United Nations. Professor Lacroix is a specialist in applied food science, food safety, biofood irradiation, probiotics and nutraceuticals. She was appointed by the IAEA Director General for three years.
Professor Carolyn Côté-Lussier has been selected to join the Researcher Council of the New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO). Selected from nearly 140 applicants, Professor Côté-Lussier will have privileged contact with researchers in the field. She will also contribute to the establishment of a state-of-the-art digital system to support scientists in accessing and analyzing data in an equitable, inclusive and ethical manner.
Recognition by INRS
INRS has awarded an honorary doctorate to Edith Cloutier, ambassador of the Indigenous identity and defender of Indigenous rights. Her career path is most exemplary. Director of the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre for more than 32 years, her remarkable commitment, her proven expertise and her genuine humanism have made her the figurehead of a society movement that welcomes and recognizes the value of differences.
Research technician Sylvain Gingras was named to the Cercle d’excellence de l’Université du Québec in recognition of his commitment and his outstanding career path. Sylvain has a background in building maintenance, heating and air conditioning and has been a key part of campus life at the Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre for over 30 years.
The Chaire Fernand-Dumont sur la culture, based at the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre, has awarded its Fernand-Dumont Prize on culture. This award recognizes the excellence of the work of doctoral students whose intellectual approach, research themes, questions and methodologies are related to Québec culture. Jean-François Laniel was the first recipient of that prize.
Students and graduates
PhD graduate Stefania Sciara has stood out from the crowd at INRS. In addition to receiving the Executive Chief Office’s Award of Excellence, she was awarded the Best Doctoral Dissertation Award and the International Outreach Award, all three awarded by the INRS. Her dissertation was recognized with an “Excellent” mention on the Scientific Director’s Honour Roll. Her work has also earned her the very prestigious Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal.
Samuel Beaulieu received the prestigious Best Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics of the Canadian Association of Physicists. The former student of Professor François Légaré’s laboratory is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, Germany.
Two students received a Vanier Scholarship for their excellence: Maude Cloutier, a student at the Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre under the supervision of Professor Charles Gauthier, and Jérome Simon, a student at the Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre, co-directed by Erwan Gloaguen, a professor at INRS, and Gabriel Fabien-Ouellet, an assistant professor at Polytechnique Montréal.
Doctoral student Mengyang Fan is the recipient of the Relève étoile Louis-Berlinguet November 2020 award from the Fonds de recherche – Nature et technologies for her work on carbon sequestration to mitigate the increase in CO2 emissions due to human activities. She works under the direction of Professor Daniel Guay.
PhD graduate in urban studies, Frédérick Nadeau won the Prix Relève étoile Paul-Gérin-Lajoie June 2020, awarded by the Fonds de recherche – Société et culture, for his article published in the journal Anthropologica (2019, vol. 61, no 2). He is working under the direction of Julie-Anne Boudreau.
Alice Gaudreau received the Executive Chief Office’s Award of Excellence for her master’s degree in knowledge mobilization and transfer, and was named to the Science Director’s Honour Roll for her excellent cumulative grade point average. She also received an “Excellent” mention for her thesis, entitled “Exploration de l’interface entre la recherche et l’action publique : expérience de stage de recherche dans l’action publique fédérale de Jeunesse au Canada”, completed under the supervision of Professor María Eugenia Longo.
The team from the student newspaper La Synthèse was awarded $750 at the Desjardins Grand Prize Gala of the OSEntreprendre Challenge. This amount will help the team continue the expansion of the newspaper, which now covers the entire student community, whereas it previously covered only the activities of the Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre. Martin Chenal, president of the newspaper, attended the gala.
The INRS Foundation presented the Prix Lumières Awards for the first time in 2020. The Foundation’s director, Élise Comtois, made the tributes to graduates Claudie Beaulieu (Ph.D. in Water Sciences – 2009), Marie-Pierre Ippersiel (Ph.D. in Urban Studies – 2004), Christian Reimer (Ph.D. in Energy and Materials Sciences – 2018) and Marco Blouin (M.Sc. in Energy Sciences – 1995 and Ph.D. in Energy and Materials Sciences – 1998). They were the first to receive the Starburst, Trailblazer and Firestarter awards.
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Report to the Community 2020-2021