The spark for science:

“The book Les Débrouillards when I was little. There was a little booklet of experiments that came with it. I didn’t necessarily do a lot of them, but I liked seeing all the things you could do. Having a grandfather who was a radiologist and a father who studied physiology certainly influenced me too.”

His career choice:

“I did it at the last minute! I liked science, biology and drawing. I wanted to draw anatomical charts like my father’s aunt did, but the guidance counselor told me there weren’t many opportunities! (laughs) At the time, my father flew a small plane for fun. I went to university to study mechanical engineering, thinking that I could draw planes. Like many, I was a little surprised when I discovered the content of my courses!”

His specialization:

“I did internships in companies and quickly realized that this was not what interested me. A new professor specializing in bioengineering arrived at the university and it was towards this branch of mechanical engineering that I headed for my master's, my doctorate and my postdoctorate. After having my first child, I found myself doing my postdoctorate in Quebec City where my partner lived until I was offered a position as a professor in mechanical engineering at the University of Sherbrooke.

My specialty is divided into two parts: on the one hand, I am interested in the mechanobiology of tendons and, on the other hand, in restoring mobility to people with physical limitations.

The passion:

“It is very demanding to learn biology, biochemistry, pharmacology in addition to mechanical engineering, but it is absolutely fascinating to understand how our body works! What motivates me the most is the positive impact that our research can have to help heal faster, prevent injuries or develop tools for young Paralympic athletes, for example.”

The chair:

“Our mission is to increase the representation of women in science and engineering (SE). I want to break down the barriers that women and girls may encounter from childhood to the workforce so that they come to SE, stay there and be happy there. One of my goals is to raise awareness among professors, colleagues and business leaders about what women can bring that is different, but also about ways to approach them.”

"In the fields of engineering (electrical, mechanical, computer science), women are not very present (11%, 13% and 16% of bachelor's degree registrations in these fields respectively). In other fields such as biology, we sometimes wrongly think that the issue is settled, because parity has been achieved. However, the higher we go in the hierarchy of decision-making positions, the fewer women there are. It is mainly men who decide the future of research and teaching in the field."