NSERC Industrial Research Chairs are founded to assist universities in establishing long-term partnerships with industry, enabling:
- High-level scientific output
- Training of highly qualified personnel (HQP)
- Improvements to the well-being of Canadians
- Increased industrial competitiveness
The NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Drinking Water Treatment and Distribution at Polytechnique Montréal was established in 1992 and is currently in its fifth funding phase. The Chair's high-quality scientific output and close ties with industry have led to renewed partnerships with City of Montréal, Veolia Water Technologies Canada Inc., City of Laval, City of Longueuil, and City of Repentigny for the 2015—2020 period.
The two Chairholders, Dr. Michèle Prévost and Dr. Benoit Barbeau, are recognized as world leaders in research and development in the following areas:
Source protection
- Wastewater characterization
- Detection, occurrence, and fate of emerging contaminants
- Risk assessment
Water treatment
- Hybrid membrane processes
- Nanofiltration
- New generation adsorbents
- Chemicals with small environmental footprints
- Advanced process control
- Biological treatment and organic matter reduction
- Oxidation of emerging contaminants
Water quality in distribution systems
- Corrosion control
- Biostability
- Microbial growth, intrusion, and biofilm
- Legionella control
- Modelling
- Hydraulics and water quality
Since the Chair's creation in 1992, substantial numbers of highly qualified personnel (HQP) have been trained (12 postdoctoral fellows, 27 doctoral and 95 master's students). The majority of these HQP have found work in their fields of specialty in Canada.
Partners
Useful links

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Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering

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Benoit Barbeau Expertise

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Michèle Prévost Expertise
News
News
Press review

february 2, 2025 - La Presse
Démystifier la science | Une bonne idée d’utiliser de l’eau chaude ?
Michèle Prévost, professeure au Département des génies civil, géologique et des mines, conseille d’utiliser l’eau froide pour éviter la dissolution du plomb et de maintenir les chauffe-eau à 60 °C pour prévenir les infections.

september 18, 2024 - The Conversation
Voici comment éliminer certains polluants éternels de votre eau potable à domicile
Benoît Barbeau, professeur titulaire au Département des génies civil, géologique et des mines, cosigne un article dans lequel il explique comment éliminer les « polluants éternels » comme les substances perfluoroalkylées et polyfluoroalkylées de l'eau potable à son domicile.

august 29, 2024 - La Presse
Inondations | « Le risque zéro, ça n’existe pas »
Raymond Desjardins, professeur au Département des génies civil, géologique et des mines et membre de la Chaire industrielle en eau potable, explique qu'il n'existe pas de risque zéro avec l'utilisation d'infrastructures d'eau, qu'elles soient en bon ou en mauvais état.