- Academic Life
The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) is pleased to announce the re-appointment Marie-Soleil Cloutier as Director of the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre in Montreal and Québec.
Renouvellement du mandat de Marie-Soleil Cloutier à la direction du Centre Urbanisation Culture Société. Photo : Phil Bernard
Marie-Soleil Cloutier new term of office begins on May 1, 2026. She will build upon her initial tenure as director, which was marked by her engagement along with her sense of dialogue and her scientific leadership.
As an INRS faculty member since 2009, Marie-Soleil Cloutier has emerged as a key figure in research on urban walkability, safety for pedestrians of all ages, and the study of changes within the city in connection with these issues. As a health geographer, she serves as director of the Laboratoire Piétons et Espace urbain (Pedestrian and urban space laboratory) and co-director of the Smart Pedestrian Cities Laboratory, two research hubs that actively contribute to our understanding of our living environments.
“. With her mobilizing leadership and her ability to foster a dialogue between the disciplines, Marie-Soleil Cloutier fully embodies the mission of the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre. Her human and structuring approach has helped consolidate a collaborative research culture rooted in social and territorial realities. ”
Isabelle Delisle, INRS Scientific Director
Under her direction, the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre has consolidated its position as a major scientific actor on issues related to urban, cultural and societal transformations in Quebec and elsewhere. Ms. Cloutier has strengthened interdisciplinary collaborations with municipalities as well as community partners and public organizations, while encouraging future professors and students, disseminating knowledge, and promoting the Centre in Quebec and on the international stage.
“The renewal of Marie-Soleil Cloutier’s term speaks to the recognition of her exceptional work and the confidence placed in her by our community. Her unifying leadership, integrated vision of contemporary issues, and remarkable openness to research and training collaborations with the four other INRS centres will help keep the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre at the heart of continued reflections on the future of our societies. ”
Luc-Alain Giraldeau, INRS CEO
This new term will give Ms. Cloutier the opportunity to continue pursuing the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre Research Centre’s mission, which is to contribute to our understanding of the world around us by drawing on approaches and methods from the social sciences. The research done at the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre thus aims to produce knowledge for purposes of informing public policies and the actions of various civil society actors in an effort to reduce inequalities.
“It is with great pleasure that I will begin my second term! I will use the experience I’ve gained to carry out my day-to-day work in step with the major changes that we’ve undertaken at our Centre and within INRS. The Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre’s community recently adopted a new scientific program, which will guide my research and training actions, surrounded by an exceptional team of professors, administrative and research staff, and students.”
Marie-Soleil Cloutier, director of the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre
The entire INRS community congratulates Marie-Soleil Cloutier on her re-appointment to a new term and wishes her the best success in the continued performance of her duties at the helm of the Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre.