Research Chairs
As part of the Sentinel North program, University Laval's Vice-Rectorate for Research, Creation and Innovation (VRRCI) is supporting research chairs to attract new researchers who will consolidate and / or fill the institution's capacity in strategic research areas for Sentinel North.
Sentinel North Research Chairs
Sentinel North is proud to welcome these exceptional professors to Université Laval, to enrich not only the Sentinel North transdisciplinary program, but also other major strategic initiatives.
 |
Sentinel North Research Chair in Aquatic Environmental GeochemistryThis research chair aims to understand how element cycles are affected by current environmental changes and what impact these changes have on water quality. |
| Raoul-Marie Couture Professor Faculty of Science and Engineering |
 |
Sentinel North Chair in the Neurobiology of Stress and ResilienceThis chair's objective is to shed light on the biological mechanisms underlying vulnerability or resilience to stress, in part with the help of state-of-the-art photonic technology, in order to develop innovative treatments to treat or even prevent depression and mood disorders. |
| Caroline Ménard Professor Faculty of Medicine |
 |
Sentinel North Research Chair on the Surveillance of Avian Influenza Viruses in Migratory Birds in Northern CanadaThis chair aims to carry out surveillance studies on avian influenza viruses (AIV) in the northern regions of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern Québec) and investigate the ecology of AIV in wild migratory birds. This chair ended in 2021. |
| Gary Wong Professor Faculty of Medicine |
 |
Sentinel North Research Chair on Respiratory viruses at the Animal-Human Interface: Emergence and controlThe objectives of this chair are to 1) Characterize and study the evolution of human and animal influenza virus in the North of Quebec and compared it with other parts of the Quebec province; 2) Elucidate the molecular basis for mammalian adaptation of animal and avian IVs. 3) Evaluate novel and existing therapeutic approaches against IVs, SARS-CoV-2 and IVs/SARS-CoV-2 coinfections using animal models representing high-risk populations. This chair started in 2021. |
| Mariana Baz Assistant professor Faculty of medicine |
 |
Sentinel North Research Chair on the Relations with Inuit SocietiesThe main objective of this chair is to to analyze the relationship between Inuit and non-Inuit, and the transformations of this relationship over the last decades and years to come. |
| Caroline Hervé Professor Faculty of Social Sciences |
 |
Sentinel North Partnership Research Chair in Economics and Brain HealthThe objective of this Chair to is to understand the dynamics and causal relationships between income inequality, the organization of health care systems and brain health. |
| Maripier Isabelle Assistant professor Faculty of Social Sciences |
 |
Sentinel North Research Chair on the Impact of Animal Migrations on Arctic EcosystemsThis Chair aims at understand Arctic ecosystem’s complex interconnections by including the connections created by animals migrating between the North and other parts of the globe. |
| Pierre Legagneux Assistant professor Faculty of Science and Engineering |
 |
Sentinel North Research Chair on the Applications and Theory of Network AnalysisThe mission of the Research Chair on the Applications and Theory of Network Analysis is to develop new analysis and modelling tools to better understand the complex systems of the changing North. |
| Antoine Allard Assistant professor Faculty of Science and Engineering |
 |
Sentinel North Partnership Research Chair in Molecular Neurobiology of Mood DisordersThe Sentinel North Partnership Research Chair in Molecular Neurobiology of Mood Disorders aims to understand the molecular dynamics through which the environment modifies genome organization and increases men and women’s susceptibility to the stresses of daily life. |
| Benoît Labonté Assistant professor Faculty of Medicine |
 |
Sentinel North Partnership Research Chair on Probing Life and the Environment with LightThis research chair will develop new tools that use light and data processing to probe the organization of living tissues and the environment, from the nanoscopic all the way up to the scale of the vast northern expanses. |
| Antoine Godin Assistant professor Faculty of Medicine |
 |
Sentinel North Partnership Research Chair on Ecosystemic Approaches to HealthThis interdisciplinary research chair focuses on the health and resilience of indigenous peoples living in northern coastal regions. The research is conducted in close collaboration with these communities. Studying the complex effects of environmental change on health and well-being will aid in the development of relevant preventive actions for indigenous and coastal populations. |
| Mélanie Lemire Assistant professor Faculty of Medicine |
 |
Partnership research chair on Permafrost in NunavikThis new research chair aims to characterize and map permafrost conditions on land used for traditional Indigenous activities, as well as assess its vulnerability to warming; perform additional permafrost characterization in northern villages to support sustainable land use planning, the adaptation of construction methods, the maintenance and development of infrastructure, and population safety; and design decision-making and scientific popularization tools to consolidate new findings and disseminate them to partners, as well as strengthen local capacities. |
| Pascale Roy-Léveillée Associate professor Faculty of Forestry, Geography, and Geomatics |
 |
Sentinel North partnernship research chair on the gut microbiome-endocannabinoid system as an integrator of extreme environmental influences on bioenergeticsThe chair will examine how extreme environmental conditions typical of life at northern latitudes affect brain and peripheral tissue mitochondrial function, and hence mental and metabolic health, through the intermediacy of the gut microbiome-endocannabinoid-mitochondria triangle, with the ultimate aim of developing new endocannabinoid/microbiome based therapies. |
| Cristoforo Silvestri Adjunct Professor Faculty of Medicine |
 |
Sentinel North partnership research chair on sleep pharmacometabolismThis Chair aims to determine how key neuronal populations in the brain, known to regulate sleep and wakefulness, detect changes in energy homeostasis. We will study how the function of these neurons is altered by factors associated with energy surplus. We will also define the pathophysiological changes that occur in these systems following the administration of drugs commonly used for the treatment of allergies and mental health problems. In addition, we intend to define the functional and behavioral impacts of disruptions in arousal circuitry. This work is particularly important for populations in northern Canada, which are subject to significant seasonal fluctuations in photoperiod, and where the burden of obesity is particularly pronounced. |
| Natalie Jane Michael Assistant professor Faculty of Pharmacy |
 |
Sentinel North Partnership Research Chair on northern infrastructureIn a context of climate change, the need to develop and maintain reliable and safe infrastructure for northern communities and for natural resources in the northern regions of Quebec and Canada requires a high level of expertise in northern engineering. The objective of this Chair is to develop technological tools to promote the sustainable development of infrastructure adapted to northern and changing conditions. |
| Jean-Pascal Bilodeau Assistant professor Faculty of Science and Engineering |