Suzanne Fortier was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 10, “in recognition of outstanding leadership in the Canadian scientific community while fostering research opportunities for future generations of scholars.”
A distinguished scientist, teacher and academic leader, Suzanne Fortier is the principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University. An outstanding researcher, she has authored or co-authored more than 80 scientific publications and earned numerous national and international awards and distinctions.
Prior to being named to her current position at McGill in 2013, Dr. Fortier was president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). She brought renewed focus on excellence to the agency by increasing its capacity to support discovery research and Canada’s ability to attract and retain the best students and professors, promote business-academic relationships and foster innovation.
Her leadership has been recognized with many awards and honours, including the Clara Benson Award for distinguished contributions to chemistry by a woman (1997), the Entrepreneurship Award from Communications and Information Technology Ontario (1997), and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). She is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an officer of France’s National Order of Merit. She is currently a member of the Strategic Committee of Investissements d’Excellence Bordeaux, the Ontario Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress, and serves on the Board of
Directors of Montreal International, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the Conference Board of Canada