Chantal Trudel is the inaugural Director of Carleton University’s Centre for Community Engagement. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Industrial Design (Faculty of Engineering and Design), member of the Human Computer Interaction program and cross-appointed to The School of Information Technology. She is an industrial designer (BID, Carleton University), a human factors professional (MSc, University of Nottingham) with an Honours BA in Philosophy (University of Ottawa). Chantal is a faculty member on the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) CREATE Research and Education in Accessibility, Design, and Innovation (READi) program which provides accessibility training and skills to students. She is also a faculty member on the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Abilities Living Laboratory (ALL), a lab focused on design to support personal mobility, habilitation, rehabilitation, as well as accessibility and inclusion in public life.
Chantal’s research and educational approach is grounded in salutogenic and participatory design to support health and wellness. Prior to her appointment at Carleton University, she worked as a product designer followed by more than 10 years of experience in healthcare planning and design. Throughout her career in both industry and academic settings, Chantal has been a strong proponent of participatory design, acting as a facilitator to engage community stakeholders in the design and development of ‘their’ projects. While recognizing the effort and challenges that naturally come along with a commitment to community engagement, the potential to better serve the community while generating a sense of meaningfulness for all stakeholders involved is what has motivated Chantal to support community engaged work at Carleton.