IRIC - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Published on June 22, 2022

On June 22, 2022, Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer of IRIC, Principal Investigator of the Molecular Pharmacology Research Unit and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal, is appointed Knight of the Ordre national du Québec.

This honorary decoration, bestowed today by the government of Quebec, is the highest honour in Quebec aimed at promoting excellence. It has been awarded annually since 1985 to distinguished individuals who have strived, in an exceptional way, to enhance Quebec’s image. The rank of Knight specifically rewards the implementation of an exemplary activity in a particular field.

Michel Bouvier is being honoured for his extraordinary professional background and to highlight the outstanding nature of his career as an Investigator. Known worldwide in the field of cell signalling and molecular pharmacology, he has made a significant contribution in the area of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) as the result of many scientific discoveries published in very high-impact scientific journals. His remarkable career has earned him an impressive number of honours and awards, notably the 2021 Killam Prize in Health Sciences, one of the country’s most prestigious honours.

Before becoming the Institute’s CEO in 2014, Michel Bouvier was Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry of the UdeM (1997-2005), Deputy Vice-Rector for Research, Discovery, Creation and Innovation (2015-2017), Founding Director of the Groupe de recherche universitaire sur les médicaments (GRUM) and Chairman of the Réseau québécois de recherche sur les médicaments (RQRM). From 2011 to 2016, he was CEO of IRIC’s research commercialization hub (IRICoR). Along with his career as an Investigator, Michel Bouvier cares deeply about training the next generation of scientists. Since the beginning of his career at UdeM, he has supervised more than 115 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

“On behalf of the IRIC community, I would like to congratulate Michel Bouvier on being appointed Knight of the Ordre national du Québec. This Quebec honour underscores the unique nature of our Chief Executive Officer’s career. Thanks to the work he has done, Michel has had a tremendous impact on the advancement of knowledge in molecular pharmacology and biomedical research, on both the fundamental and translational levels. Michel has played a vital role in increasing IRIC’s visibility in the life sciences ecosystem in Quebec, but also in Canada and abroad. Michel is a visionary and a leader. Thanks to his bold approach, IRIC and Quebec have become key players in scientific cancer research.”  – Marc Therrien, Scientific Director, IRIC.