François Gagnon was appointed to the position of CEO of ÉTS in June 2019. He holds a Bachelor degree and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, which he earned from Polytechnique Montréal in 1991, before joining École de technologie supérieure that same year.
His career at ÉTS has encompassed the positions of Director of the Department of Electrical Engineering, original Director of the Communications and Microelectronic Integration Laboratory (LACIME) and holder of the Chaire de recherche industrielle Ultra Électronique (SCT) en télécommunications sans fil (Ultra Electronics TCS Industrial Research Chair in Wireless Communication) and the NSERC-Ultra Electronics Chair on Wireless Emergency and Tactical Communication. Until very recently, he was Director of the Institut pour la résilience et l’apprentissage automatisé (Resilience and Computer-Assisted Learning Institute) and holder of the Dr. Richard J. Marceau Chair on Wireless IP Technology for Developing Countries.
François Gagnon was one of the two first ÉTS professors to be awarded a research chair. After devoting more than two decades of his life to teaching and research, he now puts his considerable knowledge of ÉTS to good use for the benefit of the entire community. He is committed to the objective of enhancing the school’s reputation and further augmenting its stature.
The CEO of ÉTS is supported by an executive management team that advises him, helps him ensure that ÉTS runs smoothly and assists him in carrying out his duties.
JEAN BELZILE, Director of Strategic Development and Resources
Jean Belzile’s background is in computer science and telecommunications. He successively held the positions of Electrical Engineering Professor, ÉTS Research and Industry Relations Director, Interim Director of Academic Affairs and Assistant Deputy Minister in Charge of Innovation at Quebec’s Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et des Exportations (ministry of the economy, innovations and exports). He has been Director of Strategic Development and Resources at ÉTS since 2016. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to a number of industrial projects and has around 50 scientific communications and 20 patents to his name.
MARIE-JOSÉE BLAIS, Director of Strategic and Research Development and Acting Director of Research and Partnerships
Marie-Josée Blais is an administratrice d’État (government administrator) assigned to ÉTS who has held the position of Director of Strategic and Research Development since January 2020. She has twenty years of experience in key public-administration positions in Québec and elsewhere. As Assistant Deputy Minister for Science and Innovation, she was actively involved in the implementation of the Québec Research and Innovation Strategy and the deployment of Quebec’s Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem. She previously served as Director General of Innovation, Director of International Collaboration and Director of Coordination for International Economic Affairs for the Government of Québec. From 1991 to 2001, Marie-Josée conducted numerous technology assessments in the United Kingdom and for AETMIS (now INNESS).
Ms. Blais has sat on a variety of commissions and boards of directors for many organizations, including the Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec, Génome Québec, the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec, Mila, IVADO and the TransMedTech Institute. She holds a Master degree in Public Health from Université de Montréal and a Certificate of Health Economics from the University of Aberdeen.
CHARLES DESPINS, Director of Industrial Innovation
Charles Despins has been active in the industrial and academic spheres for more than 30 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from McGill University and a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Carleton University. His research activities primarily focus on IT and communications and wireless networks. Before joining ÉTS, he was a professor at INRS Télécommunications. Formerly a professor at INRS Telecommunications, he also worked for several years in the ICT industrial sector, among other things as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Bell Nordiq Group, and within the Telesystem Group during the deployment of wireless networks in Canada, India and China. More recently, he was CEO of the Prompt research consortium for thirteen years.
GHYSLAIN GAGNON, Dean of Research
Professor Ghyslain Gagnon is a graduate of the Electrical Engineering Department at ÉTS and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University. He is a Researcher and member of the Hexagram and ReSMIQ networks, and a member of the NSERC Leaders network. Driven by a commitment to multidisciplinary research and partnerships, he has contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of integrated circuits and machine learning, and has been involved in the creation of internationally nominated and exhibited works of art based on technology. Working in collaboration with SIG.NUM and Concordia University, he was honoured with the 2020 ADRIQ Partnership Award for a research project aimed at creating an electrocardiogram system that is more accessible to the general public.
From 2013 to 2020, Ghyslain Gagnon headed the Communications and Microelectronic Integration Laboratory (LACIME), which unites 15 professors and more than 100 students and researchers. In carrying out this mandate, he worked to expand the research interests of the Laboratory and enhance the expertise of its members. Thanks to the significant funding that was obtained, he was instrumental in equipping the Laboratory with a leading-edge research infrastructure that is unique in the field of cyberphysical systems in Canada.
As Dean of Research at ÉTS since 2020, Ghyslain Gagnon is responsible for the creation of the Marcelle-Gauvreau Engineering Research Chairs Program, which focuses on determination and resiliency as indicators of development potential.
MICHEL HUNEAULT, Director of Academic Affairs
Michel Huneault has been Director of Academic Affairs at ÉTS since January 2018. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Université Laval and a master’s and doctorate in chemical engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal. From 2012-2018, he was Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnological Engineering at Université de Sherbrooke, a department in which he was also a full professor beginning in 2009. Previously, he was employed by the National Resource Council Canada (NRCC), where he directed a research group.
MARIE-JOSÉ NOLLET, Dean of Studies
Marie-José Nollet has been Dean of Studies at ÉTS since April 2019. She holds a Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Université Laval and a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from McGill University.
As a Professor in the Construction Engineering Department at ÉTS from 1995 to 2019, she taught undergraduate and graduate students, along with practicing engineers pursuing continuing education, before taking over responsibility for the Dean of Studies Office. Her research activities, which focus on assessing the seismic vulnerability of structures and studying seismic risk in urban environments, have led to collaborations with a number of partners, including the Geological Survey of Canada and the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec.
From 2013 to 2017, Marie-José Nollet held the position of Graduate Program Director in Construction Engineering at ÉTS, during which time she oversaw a complete overhaul of graduate programs and sat on various committees. In addition to having taught more than 60 graduate and post-graduate students, she has also authored close to 200 articles. Marie-José Nollet was a Structural Engineer at Hydro-Québec before she joined ÉTS.
CÉDRICK PAUTEL, Secretary General
Cédrick Pautel has acted as ÉTS Secretary General since 2017. Mr. Pautel, who holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Université de Montréal and a master’s in public administration from the École nationale d’administration publique (ÉNAP - National School of Public Administration), also acted as Chief of Staff for the ÉTS Director General’s Office. Previously, he held a number of positions in the academic world, in particular Advisor to the Vice President of Education and Research at Université du Québec; Primary Research Fellow and Policy Analyst at the CREPUQ (now the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire - BCI, or the Interuniversity Cooperation Bureau); Director of Planning, Policies and Legal Affairs at the Association of Universities and Colleges Canada (now Universities Canada).
STÉPHANIE SAUVÉ, Director of Institutional Relations
Stéphanie Sauvé has been Director of Communications at ÉTS since 2018, and is now Director of Institutional Relations. She holds a Bachelor degree and a Master’s in Public Communication from Université Laval.
Stéphanie has acquired close to twenty years of experience in public relations, consulting and digital communications, and is currently responsible for brand identity and reputation outreach among target publics. Before joining ÉTS, she spent the previous fifteen years in the municipal sector, where she developed numerous communication strategies for the cities of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Brossard and Longueuil.
