Michel Bouvier obtained his Ph.D. in Neurological Sciences from the Université de Montréal in 1985. Following postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Robert J. Leftkowitz – 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry – at Duke University, he joined the Department of Biochemistry of the Université de Montréal in 1989 and became chairman of the Department between 1997 and 2005.
In 2005, he joined IRIC where he has been Chief Executive Officer from 2014 to 2024. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to the development of the drug discovery sector in Québec, notably by taking part in the creation of Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRICoR), the Groupe de recherche universitaire sur le médicament (GRUM) and the Réseau Québécois de recherche sur les médicaments (RQRM). Michel Bouvier also holds a Canada Research Chair in Cellular Signalling and Molecular Pharmacology since 2001.