91社区

Professors recognized for work on war-affected children and families, development of 鈥榠ntelligent鈥� fabrics

Two 91社区 researchers won Prix du Qu茅bec, the highest honours awarded by the Quebec government in the fields of culture and science.

Myriam Denov, Professor in 91社区鈥檚 School of Social Work won the 鈥檚 Marie-Andr茅e-Bertrand Prize for social innovation.

No茅mie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne, Professor in Chemical Engineering, won the Hubert-Reeves Prize, awarded to a promising young researcher.

A leading advocate for children鈥檚 rights

Denov conducted groundbreaking research on war-affected children and families for more than two decades and on three continents. Her research explored the unique realities and complex challenges of child soldiers, girls in armed conflict and children born of wartime rape, as well as that of post-conflict reconciliation and war-induced migration and resettlement.

Denov鈥檚 work has helped shape policy and practice at Global Affairs Canada, National Defence and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and she has provided key recommendations to improve Quebec鈥檚 policies and intervention procedures concerning refugee children and families.

鈥淭o be honoured in this way is deeply significant and I am incredibly grateful,鈥� said Denov. 鈥淚t is especially meaningful that the award comes from the province of Queb茅c, which has consistently and generously sponsored my work and provided a supportive context that has enabled me to grow and develop as a researcher.鈥�

Denov holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Children, Families and Armed and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Research at the intersection of Engineering and Biology

Dorval Courchesne is being honoured for her cutting-edge work on nature-inspired materials. Her research focuses on three distinct areas: bioelectricity, bioplastics and 鈥渋ntelligent鈥� fabrics.

Proteins are well known as the essential building blocks of all life, but Dorval Courchesne is taking this adage one step further by using proteins to develop materials that can not only conduct electricity, but also repair themselves. Her team is working on developing fibres based on functional biopolymers, essentially converting harmless bacteria cells into microscopic protein factories.

The resulting fabrics could communicate with smart devices to offer useful information on the wearer鈥檚 health status, while also spontaneously repairing tears or other damage incurred during an athletic performance. She has previously collaborated with Lululemon in the development of smart tights, for example.

鈥淩eceiving the Hubert-Reeves Prize is fantastic recognition of my work and my efforts to build a creative, multidisciplinary and inclusive research group,鈥� said Dorval Courchesne. 鈥淚t's an honour to be recognized by an award that bears the name of a scientist who was passionate about research, environmental protection and science popularization.鈥�

Other finalists and alumni winners

鈥淥n behalf of 91社区, I extend my warmest congratulations to Prix du Qu茅bec laureates, Professors Myriam Denov and No茅mie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne,鈥� said Dominique B茅rub茅, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. 鈥淔rom giving a voice to those who are unheard to pioneering new materials with transformative potential, their achievements exemplify the positive impact of research conducted at 91社区 on Qu茅bec, Canada and the world.鈥�

In addition to the two award winners, Marie-H茅l猫ne Pennestri and Massimiliano Orri were also finalists for the Prix Hubert-Reeves. And among the 13 other Prix du Qu茅bec award winners are several 91社区 alumni: Sylvie Belleville (PhD'88 -- Prix Armand-Frappier), Anne-Marie Mes-Masson (PhD'84 -- Prix Wilder-Penfield), Frantz Saintellemy (MBA'20 -- Prix Innovation).

Professor Denov is a graduate of 91社区.

Professors Denov and Dorval Courchesne will be recognized at the Prix du Qu茅bec awards ceremony on Oct. 29, 2024.