Award winners for outstanding master’s theses and PhD dissertations.
For the first time this year, thanks to the INRS Foundation and the generosity of the INRS community, eight awards were handed out, with two students from each of the four research centres taking home either $1,000 for best master’s thesis or $2,000 for best PhD dissertation. Prizes were awarded at the convocation ceremony held on Saturday, November 28, 2020.
Meet our award-winning graduates.
AWARD FOR BEST PhD DISSERTATION
“I see it as a crown to all the efforts I made in my educational journey. It highlights the importance and quality of the work that I did in my PhD and I am so happy that INRS has recognized it. This award will serve as a motivation and open different avenues for me in my future career.”
Edward Owusu Kwarteng (PhD Virology and Immunology, 2019) | Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie | Supervisor: Krista Heinonen
“Winning the best doctoral thesis award of INRS is an important cornerstone in my academic roadmap. Such recogniton will not only spur further motivation to carry on my research on the Tactile Internet and related topics, it is also instrumental in creating future opportunities.”
Amin Ebrahimzadeh (PhD, Telecommunications, 2020) | Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications | Supervisor: Martin Maeir
“This award proves that all my dedication, commitment, effort, and hard work paid off. It gives me the encouragement I need to pursue a career in research and shows how important this work will be as we grapple with new environmental challenges.”
Claudie Ratté-Fortin (PhD, Water Science, 2020) | Centre Eau Terre Environnement | Supervisor: Karem Chokmani, Co-supervisor: Isabelle Laurion
“I’m very honoured to receive this award [...] I’m grateful for the support I received from my supervisors, professors, associates, and also GEM [groupe d’entraide mutuelle] with whom I conducted my survey.”
Sara Painter (PhD, Urban Studies, 2019) | Centre Urbanisation Culture Société | Supervisors: Raymonde Séchet and Anne-Marie Séguin
AWARD FOR BEST MASTER’S THESES
“I put a lot of time and effort into this research project and it has borne fruit. [...] This tells me that work, motivation, and dedication pay off and you have to do your best to reach your goals.”
Alexandra Gobeil (M.Sc. Applied Microbiolgy, 2020) | Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie | Supervisor: Monique Lacroix
“I’m incredibly grateful to INRS for this award, which I take as a token of appreciation from the INRS community for the work I accomplished throughout my master’s program. I believe this award will broaden the reach of my research, and that’s very motivating as I embark on future research projects.”
Benjamin Crockett (M.Sc. Energy and Materials Science, 2020) | Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications | Supervisor: José Azaña
“I’m surprised and delighted to receive this award. Especially since I was never a model student in the past but decided to come back to school and give it another go. It goes to show that when you love what you do, you do it well. The most important thing to keep in mind with a master’s is you have to love your project.”
Dominic Thériault (M.Sc. Water Science, 2020) | Centre Eau Terre Environnement | Supervisor: Karem Chokmani
“This prize caps off an experience that was truly rewarding both on a personal and academic level. I worked on my thesis while navigating life as a mom. It was an intense period that ended on a positive note. I learned first-hand that it is possible to juggle motherhood and higher education. This award has also rekindled my passion for research.”
Marie-Hélène Roch (M.Sc. Urban Studies, 2019) | Centre Urbanisation Culture Société | Supervisors: Christian Poirier and Marie-Soleil Cloutier