Simon Barnabé
Ph. D. Water Science, 2005
Chief Scientific Advisor, City of Victoriaville, and Professor, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
“Soaking up the INRS culture will help me all my life, not only in my career, but also in my personal development, because the scientific approach I acquired at INRS, I apply everywhere, even at the grocery store!”
It's a story that begins by chance, is woven through fortuitous encounters and unfolds into a career rich in discoveries and successes. Graduating in 2005 with a Ph.D. in Water Science, Simon Barnabé is a scientist whose curiosity has led him off the beaten track, and embodies the spirit of innovation and collaboration. From his first contact with INRS to his pioneering role as chief scientific advisor to a municipality, his journey illustrates how a passion for research can transform not just a career, but entire communities.
Mr. Barnabé's career began unexpectedly, during a stroll through the Parc industriel du Québec métropolitain. It was there that he crossed paths with INRS, and that, by the greatest of coincidences, his research career began. Under the supervision of Professor Rajeshwar Dayal Tyagi, he began a master's degree in Water Science, which he continued to doctorate. What left a deep impression on him was the exceptional closeness he felt with the faculty, scientists and research staff at the Centre Eau Terre Environnement. “INRS is like a big family”, he confides, a family he left briefly for a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University, before returning as a part-time research associate.
Buoyed by the opportunities offered at INRS, in particular the grants he helps to write under Mr. Tyagi's supervision, Mr. Barnabé embarks on an entrepreneurial venture by creating a consulting firm for cities and municipalities. His goal: to conduct research for them and offer a neutral opinion on environmental issues. This adventure only lasted a few months, however, as he was offered a professorship at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), along with an industrial research chair in environment and biotechnology, located on the same floor as a college technology transfer center. Fifteen years later, strengthened by the college-university-business synergy and still very close to the municipalities, a new opportunity came his way: “I officially became the very first chief scientific advisor of a city in Quebec,” he recounts with pride. This position, his life's dream, involves providing informed, impartial scientific advice to municipal decision-makers on crucial issues. “I also mobilize expertise,” he explains, describing how he draws on his network to answer complex questions, connecting expert people with municipal department directors.
Mr. Barnabé hopes to see an increase in the number of scientific advisors in cities and municipalities around the world, a vision he aspires to make a reality. He expresses his deep gratitude to INRS, noting that his years at the Institute have been instrumental in his achievements. “The research culture acquired at INRS accompanies me everywhere, even to the grocery store!” he jokes, emphasizing the importance of the scientific approach in his professional and personal life.
In conclusion, he shares two valuable pieces of advice for tomorrow's scientists: first, recognize that research is a collective effort, involving not only business and industry, but also cities and municipalities. Secondly, always collaborate with the end-users of research results, as it is they who will guide and adjust projects according to real needs in the field.
[Interviewed in August 2024].