Mathieu Carrier
PhD in Urban Studies (2016)
Urban Planner and Transportation Planning Coordinator, Quebec Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility
“What I learned at INRS helps me every day to carry out projects with university researchers, develop new tools, and meet the specific needs of our department.”
It was while attending an INRS open house in 2010 that Mathieu Carrier discovered the Centre for Urbanization, Culture and Society. There he met professors whose research interests - equity, transportation, urban planning - resonated deeply with his own professional concerns. What appealed to him? “The consideration of environmental issues and the alignment with external stakeholders. There was a desire to conduct action-oriented research.”
During the four and a half years he spent at INRS under the supervision of Professor Philippe Apparicio, he took full advantage of the collaborative approach and the many opportunities offered to publish, present, and work with partners. “The proximity to professors, the ease of access to resources, the friendships formed with colleagues... all of this greatly enriched my experience.” He also has fond memories of the Montreal neighborhood surrounding the Center, particularly his walks in Carré Saint-Louis.
After completing his doctorate, Mathieu continued his studies with a one-year postdoctoral fellowship before joining the Department of Transportation and Sustainable Mobility, where he has now been working for nine years. He has held several positions there, ranging from transportation analysis, where he contributed to acoustic studies and activity management for a major road project, to his current role as coordinator of the mobility planning module within the Metropolitan Planning and Mobility Directorate.
In this role, he works on a variety of mandates related to active transportation, freight transportation, and the integration of equity and gender-based analysis from an intersectional perspective (GBA+) into the department's projects. Above all, he continues to pursue his interest in applied research: “What I learned at INRS helps me every day to carry out projects with university researchers, develop new tools, and respond to the concrete needs of our department.”
Far from having left academia, he has also been teaching for 13 years in the urban planning department at UQAM and acts as a mentor to the next generation. “I try to give back what was given to me. I want to help students integrate into the job market and show them that research can make a difference.”
Today, he encourages students to step outside their academic zone and open themselves up to the realities of the field: “Get out of the university setting, present your research in a variety of contexts, and establish connections with people in the field. And if possible, take a part-time job with an outside organization: you'll enrich your work while building a network.”
Always driven by a desire to learn and innovate, Mathieu Carrier wants to continue building bridges between academic research and government action. He is also committed to helping motivated students enter the job market and supporting the next generation, whether as a mentor for the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec or as an undergraduate professor. “The INRS taught me scientific rigor and a sense of the field. I want this synergy between science and practice to remain at the heart of my career.”
[Interviewed in May 2025.]