This prestigious recognition welcomes Professor Beaudry into a group of eminent researchers at the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) who have distinguished themselves through their discoveries and contributions to their fields of research, among other things. New members will be inducted on November 19, 2021, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada comprises the Academy of Arts, Letters and Humanities, the Academy of Social Sciences and the Academy of Sciences, as well as the College of New Researchers and Creators in Art and Science. It recognizes excellence, advises governments and society at large, and in partnership with other national academies around the world, promotes a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada. Since its establishment, nearly 2,500 people have been elected by their peers to join this prestigious academy. These researchers come from all disciplines, and were chosen because they have distinguished themselves in an exceptional way through their scientific publications, their scholarship, their creative activities, or by their original contributions in the arts, letters, sciences, or public life.

"[Catherine Beaudry] is an internationally-renowned specialist in the innovation process and its impact - from idea to commercialization. Her research focuses on the various mechanisms required for successful collaboration within industrial clusters, networks and innovation ecosystems. Professor Beaudry is recognized in particular for her work measuring the impact of university research funding, and on identifying innovation factors influencing business performance," noted the Royal Society of Canada in a message announcing her election to fellow.

“I hold the members of the Royal Society of Canada in high regard, and it's with great humility that I join this exceptional community of peers, with whom I work closely in the context of my research and community service activities. I’m very grateful for the immense privilege granted to me by this prestigious nomination to the RSC. Being elected by my peers is the ultimate honour that can be bestowed upon me and I intend to prove myself worthy of it. Beyond this honour, my greatest happiness is being able to work with the country's and world's best minds to advise society and its governments, in particular on the development of a strong culture of innovation," remarked Catherine Beaudry.

“I have been tangentially around the Royal Society of Canada for several years. In 2009, I was invited to participate in Summer Davos, at the World Economic Forum in Dalian, China as an Outstanding Young Scientist chosen by the RSC, and by then by the Interacademy Panel (IAP)," explained Professor Beaudry. “In the process, I was part of the group of founding members of the Global Young Academy (GYA). Following this worldwide movement to create National Young Academies, through a committee of the Royal Society of Canada, I also contributed to the establishment of the College of New Researchers and creators in art and science. More recently, I was part of the expert committee on the state of science and technology and industrial research and development in of the Council of Canadian Academies. It was only natural for me to aspire to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada."

Professor Beaudry holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal (Po 116), and a Master's and a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Oxford. She began her career at Polytechnique in 2002 as an assistant professor, and rose to the rank of Associate Professor in 2009, then moved on to Full Professor in 2014. She holds the Canada Research Chair in the Creation, Development and Commercialization of Innovation (Innovation Chair), and is Director of the Partnership for the Organization of Innovation and New Technologies (4POINT0) as well as being a member of the Research Group on Management and Globalization of Technology (GMT) at Polytechnique. She is also an Associate Professor at UQAM's École des sciences de la gestion, CIRANO Fellow and principal researcher, member of the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en opérationnalisation du développement durable (CIRODD) and member of the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie - CIRST.

Professor Beaudry's fields of interest are: the economics of innovation, science and technology impacts, innovation networks, regional innovation systems, and business survival and performance. Her expertise leads to her contributions to the development and improvement of public policies. For example, she is a member of the Board of Directors and Program Committee of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), of the External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and of the Solicitation Committee for Universities Canada's Global Excellence Initiative.

Catherine Beaudry is the first woman from the Polytechnique Montréal community to be elected to the Royal Society of Canada.

Congratulations to Professor Beaudry!

Learn more

Professor Catherine Beaudry expertise
Innovation Chair website (In French)
4POINT0 website
Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering website (In French)
Royal Society of Canada website