Senior management
Luc Vinet, Rector
Luc Vinet was born in Montreal in 1953. He holds a doctorate (3rd cycle) from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie and a PhD from the Université de Montréal, both in theoretical physics. After two years as Research Associate at MIT, he was appointed in the early 1980’s as faculty member in the Physics Department at the Université de Montréal. He has held a number of visiting professorships at distinguished universities. He is a sought-after speaker and the author or co-author of ten books and more than one hundred scientific papers. A world-renowned theoretical physicist, his research areas include gauge field theories, supersymmetry, quantum algebras, integrable systems and combinatorics.
At the Université de Montréal, Dr. Vinet distinguished himself as director of the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM) from 1993 to 1999, one of the most memorable periods in the history of mathematical science in Canada. During his term as director, the CRM succeeded in rallying the forces of quantitative research by forming a network of centers of excellence in computing from the association of seven major Montreal research centers (CERCA, CIRANO, CRIM, CRM, CRI, GERAD and INRS–Télécom) under the banner of the Network for Computing and Mathematical Modeling (NCM2). The research network provides “one-stop” access to expertise calculation and modeling for more than 20 partner enterprises.
As president of NCM2 from 1996 to 1999, he was at the origin of two important research initiatives: the Bell University Laboratory, of which he became the first president and chief executive officer, and the Réseau québécois de calcul de haute performance (RQCHP), a high performance computing organization for which he presented the first grant application to the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Luc Vinet is also one of the founding members of and the MITACS Network of Centers of Excellence, which received an initial funding of 14 million dollars.
In 1999, Luc Vinet joined the ranks of McGill University where he held the positions of Vice-Principal (academic) and Provost. As McGill’s Chief Academic Officer, he developed an ambitious renewal scheme of the professoriate and supervised the development of numerous campus infrastructures. It was at his initiative that the Government of Quebec and Quebec universities set up the Génome Québec organization.
In June 2005, Luc Vinet was appointed rector of the Université de Montréal, Quebec's foremost teaching and research institution by virtue not only of the number of students but also of its teaching staff and the volume of its research activities. As rector, he set an inspired vision for this great institution, developing and executing an integrated strategic plan for the University. Among the many initiatives he realized are the development of a new campus and science pavilion project at the Outremont rail yards acquired in 2006, the creation of the School of Public Health, the establishment of the Cité du Savoir in Laval and the founding of the International Forum of Public Universities. During his tenure, the institution’s international profile has made marked progress in the world's most reputable international rankings. For example, the Times Higher Education Supplement, which ranked the Université de Montréal in 132nd place worldwide in 2005, was ranking the University in 91st place in 2008.
Luc Vinet sits or has sat on the boards of many organizations, including HEC Montréal, l’École Polytechnique, le Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Montréal International, l’Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, and the Fulbright Foundation. Within the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec, Dr. Vinet holds the positions of vice-president of the board of directors and member of the executive committee.
He also sits on the Standing Advisory Committee on University Research (SACUR) of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). He holds an honorary doctorate from the Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, and was made Officer of the Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French government. The Quebec government awarded him the Prix du Québec Armand-Frappier in recognition of his research career and his contribution to the creation and development of research institutions.
