Speakers for scientific vulgarization workshops
Benoit Leblanc
Presentation Title: Scientific Communication and Comics: The Starting Point.
Content: Overview of current trends in scientific communication through comics, the potential of this form of communication, and an example of adapting a scientific article.
Short Biography: Ph.D. in Molecular Biology (1993) and comic book author; post-docs on gene expression regulation in Germany (1993) and the United States (1996). At the University of Sherbrooke as an assistant professor, then lecturer since 2002.
Learning Objectives: Raise awareness of the possibilities comics offer as a tool for science communication, distinguishing it from pure text or video formats.
Estelle Chamoux
Professor of Science Communication at Bishops University who will offer an interactive training workshop, giving a foundation in communication and knowledge mobilization.
Biography: My teaching interests are focused on cell biology and molecular biology related to human health and diseases. Firstly educated in France for undergraduate and MSc degrees, I then earned my PhD in cell biology at Sherbrooke’s University, with a specialization in gland development in early human life. Since then, I continued with a Post-doctoral fellowship in immunology at Laval University. I’m now part of Dr Roux’s laboratory in Sherbrooke’s hospital, where I’m working on skeletal diseases. My studies are particularly concentrated on discovering how bone-notching cells (osteoclasts) become out of control in several pathologies. My best motivation is to help students to realize their dreams…
Discussion panel for the workshop on scientific entrepreneurship
Kathie Beland
Kathie Béland has been working in immunology since 2001, focusing on cancer immunotherapy, modeling immune diseases using relevant humanized preclinical models, and liver immunology. Over the years, she has published 30 peer-reviewed articles. In 2020, her research team filed a patent for a technology on which she was a key inventor. This milestone has enabled her transition into the industry, where she has found the experience to be highly rewarding. Currently, she serves as the Research Director at Immugenia, a start-up dedicated to developing treatments for solid cancers using engineered hematopoietic stem cells.
Amira Igouzoul
Amia Igouzoul, a student in cellular biology at the FMSS, is passionate about scientific entrepreneurship. She is an investment associate at Front Row Ventures and coordinates business development and finance for the Createk competition at the University of Sherbrooke. She is honing her skills in strategy and investment evaluation. Her journey, marked by her commitment to promoting scientific entrepreneurship, reflects her determination to accelerate the impact of academic research on society.
Audrey Paillé
Originally from France, Audrey Paillé began her academic journey with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Biological Engineering at the University of Poitiers. After gaining initial experience at a French biotechnology company, Audrey pursued her academic career with a PhD in Microbiology at the University of Sherbrooke. Passionate about science and academic engagement since the beginning of her studies, Audrey recently joined the non-profit organization Mitacs as a Business Development Advisor, with the goal of viewing research through the lens of innovation and research funding in Canada.
Simon Gaudreau
Simon Gaudreau has been co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Immune Biosolutions since 2012. Under his strategic vision, the company has developed a unique antibody discovery platform. Simon completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry in Trois-Rivières and Lausanne, before pursuing graduate studies at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sherbrooke, where he earned a Master's and a PhD in immunology under the primary supervision of Dr. Abdelaziz Amrani.
Maxime Descoteaux
Maxime Descoteaux is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sherbrooke. In 2021, he was named a member of the Royal Society of Canada College and received the 2019 Researcher Star Award from the Government of Quebec. He completed a post-doctorate and doctorate in France at CEA and INRIA Sophia Antipolis, after earning a Master's at the Center for Intelligent Machines and a triple Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics at McGill University. He founded and leads the Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Lab (SCIL), supervising 10-15 graduate students and staff. His research aims to better map, visualize, and understand the neural architecture of the brain: the human connectome. In 2023, he founded the International Society for Tractography (IST), which he has chaired since, with the goal of transforming the future of tractography technology for personalized medicine.
Kevin Neil
Kevin earned his PhD in Biology from the University of Sherbrooke in 2021, after winning around twenty awards and scholarships for academic excellence, including the FRQS Award for Best Thesis in Health Sciences and the Québec Science Discovery of the Year Award. Alongside his PhD, Kevin also completed a certificate in entrepreneurship and co-founded TATUM Bioscience in 2019. Since then, he has held the position of Chief Scientific Officer, where he leads the development of a new class of cancer immunotherapy based on genetically modified bacteriophages.
